


Tadhana (or nah)

by WitchDrug



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: A wide range of relationships right here, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And a tabo full of kilig, Author says no, FUCK, Fujoshi!MC, Grim my baby boy let's burn the school down, Here?, Lots of colorful language, MC has a phone but for the worse, Multi, Or a freaking guidance counselor, Or cursing if we want to be blunt, Other, Overblot?, Please just send MC home, Polyamory more like TWamory, Real Life Rhythm Game! Buy one now and get one free!, Spoilers for Main Story and Event Stories, This school honestly needs a psychiatrist, Where? - Freeform, a lot of embarassment, a lot of fluff, a lot of friendship, a lot of misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 44
Words: 82,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchDrug/pseuds/WitchDrug
Summary: There is something to be said, really, when characters who you’ve painstakingly stayed up until 2 AM for just so that you can roll for them at your ridiculous but very much real LUCKY GACHA TIME ✨, are—Are standing.Right.In front.Of you.Very calmly, and very smartly, Erika hides her phone behind her back.She feels it vibrate, alerting her to a notification of her AP being full, and thinks,Shit.Or, MC would rather live than flirt in a world named Twisted Wonderland for a damn good reason, thank you very fucking much.
Relationships: Grim (Twisted Wonderland) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 534
Kudos: 637





	1. Prologue: Hysoppus officinalis

It all honestly started with the goddamn elevator breaking down.

“Nooooo,” Erika bemoans, the miserably little world coming out muffled through her face mask. “You can _not_ be doing this to me. I swear to fuck,” she mumbles, poking the notice paper with her avoiding stick thingy that’s been selling like _crazy_ online.

Maybe, just _maybe,_ if she pokes it hard enough, the words will change?

She doesn’t even have to look at her condominium’s security guard to _know_ that he’s amused by her antics.

_Fine_ , she thinks. _Fine, fine, fine!_

Glumly, she secures her duffel bags over her shoulders and begins her trek to the emergency staircase at the very back of the first floor that, she believes, had been positioned there because _nobody_ in their right mind would ever use the stairs.

Especially if they lived on the ninth motherfucking floor.

By the time she makes it on her floor, she’s a sweaty, panting, and very humiliated mess.

“Shit,” she mutters, airing her shirt out to get some pathetic breeze against her skin. Her bra’s _soaked_ , what the fuck. This was horrible. This was terrible. She _really_ hated stairs, what the hell.

Painstakingly, she drags herself over to where her unit should be, the slings of her bags digging heavily into her with shoulders with every step she takes, and very much avoids that one very attractive neighbor she has taking out their trash as she fumbles for the keys in her pockets.

She eventually gets the door open and wastes no time in shoving herself into her second home.

Her phone vibrates against her thigh, and she’s vaguely aware of the time to know that one of her games’ energy bar must have filled up.

“I should probably check it out…” She mutters, dropping her bag against her bed that, for a lack of a better word, puffs out _dust_ at the intrusion.

She stares at the little particles that float about before her, highlighted even more by the light of her study lamp, and decides fairly that she should probably clean up since it’s been _months_ since she’d even stepped foot into this place.

Six hours later, Erika plops herself onto her bed, ignoring the little metal creaks it makes in favor of burrowing her face into the freshly-changed sheets. She’d have probably fallen asleep right then and there, her hair still wet from the bath she’d taken, if not for her phone going batshit insane with new notifications.

Groaning, she reaches out for the little device and feels her mood drop even further at the variety of notifications informing her that she has a _new assignment!_ or a _new discussion!_ or even a _new readings!_ for her to check out.

Her severe expression somewhat softens, though, when she scrolls down her lock screen and sees a couple of texts from her parents reminding her to not stay up too late.

She immediately unlocks her phone but pauses when the little screen announcing that she only has _10 percent left_ appears against her wallpaper.

Mumbling a curse underneath her breath, she scrambles for her phone charger and promptly sticks it into the socket next to her bed. A bit of her anxiety washes away when she plugs her phone, watching the little battery on the upper right earn a lightning bolt.

Without further ado, she sends her parents an emoji-filled text, knowing that it would drive them absolutely _crazy_ in trying to decode her message.

Once that’s out of the way, she turns to the more important aspects of her phone. Her precious mobile games that have done her an equal amount of good and bad in her life.

She taps the little black app that has steadily grown familiar to her over the past few months and watches as it opens in a surge of grey darkness. Impatiently, she tap-skips through the logos of very prominent companies and bites her lip as she eagerly waits for the game to start.

_“Twisted Wonderland~”_

Ortho’s familiar and boyish voice blares out distinctly from the speakers, making her smile softly.

With an excited flutter in her gut, she taps the touch screen and waits for her home screen to appear.

As expected, Azul is there to greet her as she’d set him on her home screen the other night.

“Hello, my little octo-baby,” she coos whilst in the comfort of her home. “Did you miss your sugar mama? I’m sure you did~ But mama had to go out for a while,” she mock sobs

Azul, of course, responds with one of his usual voice lines when she taps his shoulder.

She snorts, but there’s a little smile playing on her lips. She’s heard his pre-set voice lines a ton of times, gradually growing tired of it, but there’s just something really _soothing_ about hearing his—hearing _any_ of this game’s characters after a really long day.

Seeing that her AP was at a 10/10, she did her usual routine of leveling up her cards on the blessed loop option.

“It’s only ten…” She murmurs, glancing at the digital clock on her desk. It meant that she only had four more hours to go before her _LUCKY GACHA TIME✨._

She _could_ probably spend it finishing up her new workload but—

Erika glances at her place, the one she’d spent the better part of her evening cleaning, and thinks _fuck it_.

She deserves some goddamn rest after the day she’s had, not to mention the travel time it took to get here, and the _stairs_ , ugh.

“2020 and still no means of teleportation,” she mutters, glancing at her phone where chibi-Ruggie cheered a _PERFECT!_ with Crowley standing off at the side doing nothing like usual. 

_How cute_ , she thinks, already feeling the dredges of sleep creeping in from the back of her mind. 

Knowing herself very well, she reaches out for her phone and turns on her alarms, starting at two and ending at half-past two with five-minute intervals like the crazy ass bitch she is.

_All for pulling Horny-horn Horn Boy in his ceremony robes_ , she thinks as she switches back to the app so that her grinding could run off smoothly whilst she dozed. 

“Na-night,” she bids to the eerie quietness of her room, her fingers grazing just the barest surface of her phone’s screen. 

Just as sleep claims her mind with its soothing claws, she vaguely registers her fingers dipping into something cold and unfamiliar, like a really soft jelly, but she pays no heed to it.

She’ll need the sleep for rolling later, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, ma! It's my turn to succumb to Twisted Wonderland! And yes, I'd very much like to say first that, yeah, you read it right: Horny-horn Horn Boy.  
> For some reason, my brain translates Tsunotarou into Horny-horn Horn Boy when I know it’s not 😭.
> 
> This is honestly me raging na, alright, if [Character] doesn't want to come home to me, then I'mma come to them >:( HAHAHA.
> 
> Common Name: Hyssop


	2. Aquilegia canadensis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Message cannot be delivered.

There is an unnerving silence in her dream this time; a rare occurrence, for her, who’s always dreamt of either excitement or tender familiarity.

Never so silent. 

Never so dark.

Never so _stifling_.

Not even her nightmares could compare to this artificial tranquility.

Her worries are well-founded when the unfamiliar abyss she’s in suddenly _shifts_ , the space around her closing in until she’s cocooned tightly in a cold embrace.

The constant stream of static flowing into her ears suddenly picks up, warping into syllables that sound more like gibberish than any language she’s ever heard.

She sluggishly turns her head, catching just a sliver of _something_ distinct from this world of darkness, but her head is roughly positioned back by something large and solid that she _swears_ makes the bones in her jaw creak just a bit.

The unwelcomed touch slides from her chin and down to her neck, where it lovingly wraps its amorphous appendages around then _grips_.

She chokes, her windpipe straining from the painful pressure, and her hands fly up to grasp her assailant, fingers clawing into the firm meat of their arm, _demanding_ her release.

But they don’t let up. Instead, their grip _tightens_ , and she’s forced to open her mouth in a hoarse whine.

It’s a mistake.

The minute her lips part, the abyss cocooning her suddenly shifts, slimy tendrils emerging from its depths in order to climb resolutely up her face and crawl into her mouth, filling her with a sickly-tasting fluid that rests thickly and murkily upon her tongue.

She feels it slide down her throat, knocking against everything it comes across, and she gags at the reckless intrusion, gripping her assailant’s arm even tighter.

Even amidst the burning sensation spreading from her core, she’s vaguely aware of a strange chant going around, filling her ears with words that gradually subside into something familiar—a language she knows.

English.

_—Do not let go of that hand, at all costs._

.

..

…

..

.

Erika wakes up with a deep gasp from the _worst_ nightmare ever. Immediately, her hands fly up to her chest at the alarming sensation of something _vibrating_ against it.

“Holy fuck, holy fuck, don’t let it be an alien,” she pleads, sticking her hands down her shirt and— _what?_

She pauses, though, and her hands hover uncertainly over the high collar of her silky button-up.

There are three things that are distinctly _wrong_ with that, since she’s positively sure that she went to bed with one of her old T-shirts that had gone crispy due to a bad wash.

She doesn’t dwell on it any longer when she’s reminded of the quivering _thing_ on her chest. 

With trembling fingers, she unfastens a few buttons, enough to stick her hand down her bra and pull out the—

“Motherfucker,” she curses, glaring at her phone whose scheduled alarm had been going off for who knows how long. 

She wonders, though, why had it been down there?

“...Weird,” she mutters as she turns off the alarm, the bright light from her phone enough to illuminate her room.

Or, well, what _should_ have been her room.

“What the fuck,” she utters, looking around and seeing velvet cushioning on either side of her. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck.” The curses continue streaming out when she notices that she’s no longer lying on her rickety bed.

She’s lying in some kind of coffin, filled to the brim with white flowers, and the worst part is that she’s the only one there and dressed in some kind of… weird formal attire?

“Am I...dead?” She wonders, reaching down to her thigh to grasp a handful of meat, squeezing it harshly. 

It hurts, the squeezing, so...that means that she’s alive, right?

Very, very confused and scared, she quickly unlocks her phone and tries to message her parents.

She watches as the message is sent, watches it load, before a red exclamation dot appears next to it.

_Message cannot be delivered_.

She tries again, and again, and again, but all attempts end in that.

_Message cannot be delivered_.

She tries messaging her friends, but none of her texts can seem to go _through_.

“Even though I have a signal…?” She whispers, staring in disbelief at the four black bars on the upper left of her screen. “What in the world...?”

Seeing as she can’t contact _anybody_ , the most proper plan would be to get out of this cramped coffin.

When pushing on it for a while doesn’t work, she resorts to relentlessly kicking it open because _dammit_ had she been kidnapped? Was she going to be dragged into human trafficking all because she fell asleep?

_But I know I locked the door,_ she thinks even as her feet begin throbbing at the abuse she’d purposefully inflicted upon it. _I never leave it unlocked. And my condominium should have CCTV cameras on every floor! How could anybody have smuggled me out?!_

None of this makes sense, and it’s that fact that makes her chest burn and well up with one of the most sickening feelings ever.

Anxiety.

The intensity of it must do _something_ , because renewed vigor flushes straight into her legs and, with one harsh stomp on the coffin’s lid, it practically flies off of its hinges and into a nearby wall. 

Erika barely catches herself, her hands clasping tightly to the edges of the coffin, when gravity suddenly flips and she finds herself standing in her coffin that’s—

She blinks. 

—floating above the ground?

“What the fuck,” she says for not the first time that day.

But really.

What. The. Fuck.

Warily, she peers out into the dimly-lit room, where a multitude of other coffins are floating about as if they were fishes in an ocean, the singular mirror on each coffin’s lid glowing a vivid green.

Carefully, she lowers herself down to the marble floor, thanking every known deity that her coffin was one of the closer ones to the ground, and unsteadily stands on the pair of heels that had been swapped for her more comfortable house slippers.

However, the minute she’d looked down at her less than conventional footwear, Erika gets a clearer image of the outfit she’d been forced into.

“You have got to be shitting me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of daily updates, I'll be making the chapters short ehe. After all! Less for speed in this case, right? HAHAHA. (and i didn't pull SSR Ace, cry, let my salt season your meal)
> 
> Common Name: Eastern Red Columbine


	3. Helianthus giganteus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is capable of burning her.

“No way.”

Erika clutches a good handful of the robe she’s draped in—one that she’s _never_ worn before in her entire life but is _definitely_ familiar with, especially with the predominantly black and purple motif going on.

After all, she’d be an idiot to _not_ recognize the popular ceremony robes from her mobile game.

“No way, no way, no fucking way,” she denies, flapping the billowing sleeves of her outfit as wildly as she can to somehow prove that _it’s not real_.

For good measure, she pinches her arm once more, harsher this time, and the pain reflected from it is enough to answer her incredulity.

Impossible.

Absolutely fucking impossible.

None of this should even be _real_.

“Nyaha!”

She flinches, startled by the unexpected sound coming from someone else, and she turns to look up at the source of it.

Her eyes widen at the same time her heart drops to clatter noisily in her gut.

“I’ve hit the jackpot! I’d thought for sure I’d have to pry one of these coffins open, but out comes my golden ticket, nyehe~” Grim snickers, covering his mouth with his furry paws, as he stands tall upon one of the floating coffins.

Erika gaps.

_What the fuck_ , she thinks, watching Grim— _Grim?!?!_ —perform a celebratory dance atop the coffin, the flames— _f_ _lames?!?!?!_ —in his ears burning brightly with his evident happiness.

She takes a shaky step back, the heel of shoes making an audible _click_ that attracts the raccoon’s(?!) attention.

Grim turns to her, the slit pupil of his blue eyes contracting when his gaze lands on her.

“Rejoice, human!” Grim announces, stretching his arms high and wide. “I, the Great Grim, have chosen you to be my first stepping stone in becoming the most powerful magician in the world!” He cackles sinisterly.

Erika knows very well what’s supposed to happen next, the events flowing out as they did in the actual game, and she takes a few steps back, steadily edging closer to the main entrance for a better chance at a headstart.

Because there is no way in hell she’s giving him her clothes—not when she has nothing else to change into!

She freezes, however, when Grim leaps off of his perch and toddles over to her.

“Now—!” Grim grins. “Hand over your clothes!”

Erika stares down at him, wide-eyed, for a few more seconds.

Then, slowly, she reaches down to pluck off her shoes.

She carefully deposits them on the ground before her, swallowing down the nervous lump in her throat as her stomach is filled to the brim with fluttering butterflies.

“Hah?” Grim scowls, glaring at the shoes, then at her. “Are you dumb? I can’t wear these! Your clothes, you idiot! It’s your clothes that I—”

She doesn’t wait for him to finish.

Without the added burden of heels, she takes off, flinging the heavy doors open, and _fleeing_ for her life.

_Don’t chase me, don’t chase me_ , she internally chants, making a sharp turn to the left when the hallway splits. _There are a bunch of other coffins there! Pick somebody else!_

Her wishes are, much to her horror, forsaken when a furious howl echoes from behind her.

“NYAAAARGH!” Grim screeches from some unknown distance at her back. “HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY WHILE I’M TALKING!” 

“Leave me alone!” She screams back, spotting a flight of stairs nearby and, after a moment of hesitation, bounding down to the lower floor whilst skipping as many steps as she can.

The stone floor is _freezing_ against her bare feet, but she doesn’t let that bother her whilst she turns this way and that as a way to get rid of her ruthless pursuer.

“Gya! Just stay still, you stupid—!” Grim’s sentence devolves into a series of growls, clearly irritated with her. “Fine! If you don’t want to listen to me, then I’ll just have to roast you!” 

Her heart seizes at that, and she’s suddenly reminded of what this little imp is capable of.

He is capable of _burning_ her.

Just as the anxiety scorching her lungs climbs up dangerously high in her throat, a wave of static pierces through her mind and—

She blinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you imagine Grim walking on his two legs?? IDK but when I watched the opening video, I saw how he walked and it’s. Just. So. CUTE!!! hbfvcdx I absolutely love Grim even though I know I'd loathe to have him as a groupmate (much less to share honorary student rights with cry ;_; goodbye my passing GPA and good student record).
> 
> Common Name: Tall Sunflower


	4. Ilex aquifolium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No fucking way, she thinks, unable to quite believe, much less comprehend, what she’s seeing, but, well—

From out of nowhere, a green circle appears on the floor in front of her. It glows softly with an elaborate design emblazoned upon its surface, its thin perimeter rotating around it.

What’s even more disconcerting is that, ahead of it, there appears to be a series of other circles of the same size and same hue of green.

_No fucking way,_ she thinks, unable to quite believe, much less _comprehend_ , what she’s seeing, but, well—

“Get cooked!” Grim howls, and the undeniable conviction in his voice is enough to push the doubt off of her shoulders and drive her into action.

She barely lands atop the green circle nearest to her, sparkles bursting from underneath her foot the minute she makes contact with it.

Just in time, too, since a surge of blue fire scorches the ground from where she’d originally been.

“Gah!” Grim exclaims in surprise. “How’d I miss?!”

_You wouldn’t have_ , she is smart enough to acknowledge, well aware of her physical limitations. From the edges of her mind, a distinct rhythmic beat flares to life as she continues to sprint, making sure to land on each and every circle with each desperate step she takes. _You definitely would have burned me, if not for_ —

Her thoughts falter, though, when the path suddenly splits once more.

And, against her better judgment, Erika takes the one _away_ from the glowing circles, the franticness laying waste to her mind taking control of even her sensibilities.

She only realizes her mistake when the static clouding her senses dull, the rhythmic beats in her mind pulsing with a despondent sound; by then, though, it’s already too late.

“Shit!” She curses, practically _leaping_ at her next step when something _searing_ just barely licks at the skin of her calves.

“Give up!” Grim demands, sounding so much _closer_ than before.

Erika doesn’t bother to look back, but she does shout back, “Will you quit it!”

“Never!” Grim fervently protests. “I need your clothes to become a student here!”

“Get somebody else’s then!” Erika argues, taking the first right turn in this maze of a building. “There’s, like, a hundred of those coffins in there! Why me?!”

Another burst of flames that nearly leaves burns on her feet pushes her to run faster.

“Nyargh! Why bother!” Grim crows, sounding inexplicably proud of himself. “I already have a live one right in from me!”

Despite the painful burning in her chest from all this physical activity, Erika has enough energy to feel a spark of irritation at the back of her brows.

_This son of a bitch—!_

Her internal complaints immediately die down, though, when she turns the next corner and catches sight of a nearby exit leading to what appears to be a flourishing courtyard.

She vaguely takes note of the well situated in the very center of the courtyard, her attention more solely focused on the pair of individuals standing next to it.

Hope flickers within her heart, and she pushes herself to run even just a bit quicker, just a bit harder, just—

“Help!”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's not forget that TW is more than just a salty gacha game.
> 
> It is, to be fair, also a rhythm game ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Earlier, I went to tumblr to see if there were any comics or ideas like this and!!! I did!!! The amazing "aulilyu" made some beautiful comics about it!! And they have an adorable MC aptly named Yuulis Crowley! Go check it out!!!  
> It is pitifully short this time for a wonderful surprise in next chap.
> 
> Common Name: English holly


	5. Salvia rosmarinus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If she’s remembering this right, shouldn’t she have met Crowley immediately after Grim’s introduction?

In the dim setting of a courtyard illuminated by only the night sky’s heavenly bodies, Erika hadn’t really made out exactly _who_ she’d called out to for help, especially when the two of them were being shadowed so well by the well’s roof.

The second she’s close enough, she gets a significantly better look at them.

Immediately, her eyes lock in on the great horns protruding from one of the individuals’ heads, barely discernible in the dark with how pitch black they are.

Already, the curdling in her gut grows stronger when her gaze slides down and she sees—

She _recognizes_ —

“Hie!” shrieks the other individual in the courtyard, clearly terrified in the face of Grim’s determined wrath, and there’s no denying who this person can be, just based off of the strikingly blue flames flaring out from their scalp and trailing down past their knees in a mockery of hair. “A wild Wondermon suddenly appeared!”

Erika nearly trips over herself once she recognizes just _who_ exactly she’d called out to, but manages to right herself in time.

“A...raccoon dog?” sounds Malleus(?!), appearing perplexed. “Chasing a human?” His dark brows rise highly.

“I-I don’t think that’s the problem right now…!” Idia(?!) exclaims, fists trembling close to his chest. “They’re coming right towards us!”

As much as Erika wants to stand and gawk at them, there are _clearly_ bigger matters at hand. 

“Nyar-shit! I’m getting pissed now!” Grim declares, as if he wasn’t furious enough already. “It doesn’t matter who—I’ll turn you all to crisps!”

Frost wraps around her heart in a travesty of an embrace, and she’s all too aware of the amount of sweat slipping down her face as if she’d just run her own version of a marathon.

Knowing all too well how Grim expresses his anger, Erika lifts her head up and, regardless of her knowledge of these two being Dorm Heads, regardless of her knowledge of these two’s capabilities as supposed magicians in their own rights, she shouts,

“Get out of the way!”

Her deduction proves true when Grim roars in that high-pitched voice of his and releases a relatively powerful stream of flames straight towards them all.

She manages to throw herself out of the way just in time, feeling just a smidgen of such powerful magic singe a good portion of her robe’s sleeve.

She roughly hits one of the box topiaries, tumbling over to its other side in her attempt to better shield herself. 

She belatedly realizes, though, what’s a fucking _plant_ gonna do against fire?

Overhead, Grim’s inferno sears through the air like some kind of comet’s tail—brilliant, glorious, and so very riveting.

_But devastating_ , notes Erika, her eyes reflecting the blaze that would have surely killed her if she hadn’t dodged soon enough.

Then, she remembers something.

_Malleus and Idia!_

If she’s remembering this right, shouldn’t she have met Crowley immediately after Grim’s introduction?

So...why were Malleus and Idia here?!

Cautiously, she peers over the hedges, internally praying that Grim’s fire didn’t injure, much less kill, any of the two.

She doubts Grim would be able to do so, if plot armor is a thing in this world.

... _I hope_ , she adds as an afterthought.

However, instead of the burnt crisps of two _really_ major characters of the game, what she sees is Grim’s azure fire contorting itself into a globe, the intensity of the heat concentrated into one shape gradually turning the flames a brighter blue. 

She only discovers that the flames are, in fact, _not_ contorting but instead _encasing_ something when the blaze eventually dies down.

There, standing within a spherical barrier erected from water, Idia and Malleus stand together, their backs facing each other, Malleus with his magical pen in his hand and Idia with a small floating skull in front of his, both of which glowing with their own respective dorm colors. 

“Wha—?!” Grim puffs out, clearly exhausted with the taxing feat of magic he’d just performed. “My magic, guh, didn’t work?!”

The water barrier eventually dissipates, starting from the peak and eventually splashing onto the ground a considerable distance from the two magicians.

In a clearly leisurely manner, the two lower their arms and return their magical devices to their respective hiding spots.

“Haaaah,” heavily breathes out Idia, rubbing the back of his flaming hair that parts to surround his arm. “The day I decided to do something normie-like for once, it gets ruined because of a monster attack.” He clicks his tongue, the unnatural sharpness of his canines showing just a bit.

Malleus turns to his fellow Dorm Head. “Wasn’t this the fun you wanted?” He asks with a tilt of his head, his chin tucked in between his index finger and thumb, and an almost teasing smile on his lips.

“Fun?!” Idia faces Malleus with just the biggest eyes. “You—Malleus, I. I think we have...different definitions of fun,” he trails off, nervously looking off to the side.

A distance away from them and _still_ huddling behind the topiaries, Erika watches their interaction with something akin to amazement because—

Because—

“Malleus! Idia!” 

Her head snaps over to the newcomer dashing into the courtyard, their robes flapping wildly behind them at the speed at which they run at.

Erika follows the way the newcomer’s white hair flutters about, held up neatly away from his forehead with a headband turban that matches his ceremony robes, and very nearly stops _breathing_.

In an appropriate response to this _very much_ unexpected turn of events, Erika covers her mouth with her hands, unable to believe the scene she’s _witnessing_.

“Are you both alright?!” Kalim(?!) asks, worriedly surveying them but not once laying a hand on either of them, likely because he respects their aversion to physical contact, or maybe something else less considerate.

“Kalim,” acknowledges Malleus, gaze drifting to the other’s ceremony robes. His eyes narrow as he peers inquisitively at him.

“I saw what happened from the second floor!” Kalim exclaims in lieu of an explanation. “Those flames—! I thought for a second that both of you were fighting since Idia and Ortho are the only ones with fire that color!”

Ignihyde’s Dorm Head suddenly pats his flaming blue hair. “...We can summon regular fire too,” he petulantly mutters, his complaints lying mutely on Kalim’s ears.

“Kalim!” Somebody suddenly shouts from the other side of the courtyard.

All of them, including Erika, turn to look at the second newcomer.

_Of course_ , thinks Erika, as she watches the way Jamil(?!), ever playing the role as Kalim’s loyal servant, strides over to his master with an evidently ruffled expression twisting his features.

“You shouldn’t run off like that alone! Especially without an attendant!” Jamil scolds the minute he’s a step behind Kalim. “Jeez! Just how many times do I have to tell you this?!”

Despite getting quite an earful from Jamil, Kalim’s entire face brightens up. “Jamil!” He exclaims, sounding so very _sweet_. “Did you see that huge fire a while ago?!”

Jamil's brows furrow deeply. “Fire?” He questions.

At the other’s bemused look, Kalim turns his attention back to Idia and Malleus.

“Ah!” Kalim declares, looking for all the world like _he’d_ been the one that was wronged what with the way he juts out his bottom lip. “You two! Were you fighting?”

Idia’s expression sours, an incomprehensible mumble slipping past his lips.

Malleus, on the other hand, answers calmly, “There was an intruder, and we simply protected ourselves.” His gaze then flickers to Grim.

Or, to be updated, where Grim _should_ be.

_He must have slipped out sometime when they were distracted,_ Erika interprets. Just to be safe, she looks behind her. When she spots no sign of a certain grey furball anywhere near her, she sighs in relief and turns her attention back to the quartet.

She freezes, however, when she realizes that all four Twisted Wonderland characters come to life are looking in her direction.

“It was chasing a student,” Malleus continues, narrowing his eyes.

Even as all four of them continue to look at her doing a _fucktastic_ job at hiding, their gazes may as well be steaming hot iron rods burning into her skin, Erika continues to hide, truly scared of what will happen if she comes out.

_But_ , she thinks, looking at her hands as they grip the front of her slacks. _What good will hiding do?_

At worst, she could irritate any of them and, possibly, make her situation even worse, if you could even call it that.

Taking a deep, _deep_ , breath, she steels herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wouldn’t believe just how many times I sounded out “Nyar-shit” in a poor imitation of Grim’s voice to see if that’s something that he CAN say considering his character. 
> 
> Other than that. *Quietly slides in my take of a combination of Kalim’s and Idia’s SR Summoning Robes* We are just getting started.
> 
> Common Name: Rosemary


	6. Cornus florida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A-Are you sure you should be getting close to that—” Idia glances at her for a moment, before he quickly sets his sights on something else. “Shouldn’t we tell the Headmaster about this first?!”

With newfound courage, she looks up and almost farts out that courage of hers when she nearly knocks foreheads with a _very_ familiar Scarabia Dorm Head.

She recoils back, and her arms immediately snap out behind her just in time to catch herself from sprawling all over the flourishing lawn that, by the feel of her fingers digging into the grass and soil, is thankfully dry.

She only belatedly realizes that, even though she’s thankful that she didn’t get to eat dirt this time around, her current and awkward position is a problem in itself.

A _very_ big problem.

With her robe all askew, there’s nothing to hide her more feminine characteristics pressed against the thin layer of a button-up and slacks.

By the sharp inhalation from one of them, she guesses that they _must_ have seen it.

“Oh!” Kalim exclaims, sounding positively surprised but also delighted. “A girl! We’ve never had a girl in our college!”

Jamil makes some incoherent sound of complaint before he hisses out, “There aren’t _any_ female students here, because Night Raven College is supposed to be an all- _boys'_ school.”

“Ah…” Kalim utters before his brows rise high on his forehead. “Then...how come she’s here?”

_That’s what I’d very much like to know,_ she internally sighs, pathetically pitiful of herself at this point.

Just in case this is all _still_ just a dream in spite of everything that’s happened so far, she closes her eyes, squeezing them tightly in order to better drown out the noise from the outside world with her frantic thoughts, and slowly counts up to seven.

At the final count, she reluctantly opens her right eye and—

_Fuck._ She wearily opens her other eye, just utterly tired at this point.

They’re still there.

All three Dorm Heads and one Vice-Dorm Head are still there, the only barrier between her and them being the boxed topiaries, and at least half of them are leaning over to get a better look as if she were some animal in a fucking petting zoo whilst they converse amongst themselves.

Uncertainly, she glances at each one of them, making sure to avoid their eyes in case she might unwillingly initiate any sort of conversation.

The gleaming coin-like accessories in Jamil’s hair resting idly against one side of his temple.

The gold cobra earrings appearing to dangle heavily from Kalim’s ears.

The striking blue fire of Idia’s hair floating about as if it had a mind of its own.

The very distinct protrusions emerging from Malleus’s head and curving high in the sky.

She is all too aware of the cold sweat that trails down the back of her neck, of the sinking feeling in her gut, of the heavy stone in her heart, and of the cold frame of her phone in her hand.

Never has Erika ever felt so discomfited when seeing her adored Twisted Wonderland characters, but—

But—

There is something to be said, really, when characters who she’s painstakingly stayed up until 2 am for just so that she can roll for them at her very ridiculous but also very much real _LUCKY GACHA TIME_ _✨_ are—

Are standing.

Right.

In front.

Of her.

Very calmly, and very smartly, Erika hides her phone behind her back.

She feels it vibrate, probably alerting her to a notification of her AP being full or something and thinks,

_Shit_.

As much as she wants to check her phone, she knows better than that.

“Are you a perhaps new student here?” Kalim suddenly asks her, hopping over the topiary to get closer to her.

With butterflies flapping wildly in her belly, Erika does the one thing she can think of with her situation in mind.

As deftly as she can, she lifts the back of her robes and slips her phone into her pants and underwear, making sure to tuck the device snug against her butt cheeks.

_Hopefully, the robe will conceal that there’s something in my pants,_ she wishes, trying her very best to not fidget.

“Oi, Kalim,” Jamil calls out but, when the Scarabia Dorm Head merely waves his hand at him, he sighs out loudly and follows after his master, stepping over the topiary.

“A-Are you sure you should be getting close to that—” Idia glances at her for a moment, before he quickly sets his sights on something else. “Shouldn’t we tell the Headmaster about this first?!”

“Shroud has a point,” Malleus inputs with a nod. “She could be a trespasser for all we know, considering that the Dark Mirror only chooses males and the Ebony Carriages are quite averse to carrying any females,” he eloquently suggests.

Erika tenses up at that, her eyes having flickered from one person to next whenever they’d spoken up.

“Wellllll, why don’t we just ask her then?” Kalim proposes, beaming brightly at his brilliant idea. He turns to her face, his dark jewel-like eyes a stark contrast to the vivid smile on his lips. “Ne, you! Did a black carriage pulled by a black horse come to pick you up?” 

Erika flinches when all eyes are turned back to her, but she balls her fists and summons what sliver of nerve she can muster.

Tentatively, she opens her mouth.

“I...really don’t know,” she answers, truthfully, because it’d be _bad_ if any of them caught her lying. She wouldn’t want to give them a bad impression of her, especially if it could mean her _life_.

_Fuck_ , she utters in her mind, remembering one _very_ important key detail in this game. _The Overblot incidents_.

Before she could delve any further into that miserable hole of clusterfucks, somebody else asks her a question.

“Then what _do_ you remember?” Jamil asks. Though he isn’t outright glaring at her, there’s a certain kind of intimidation to the scary blankness overlaying his features.

It also doesn’t help that his eyes look no better than bottomless abysses in this dim setting.

“I—” Erika hesitates, wracking through her brain for the specifics. “I remember waking up in a coffin,” she eventually comes up with, rewinding through the events she’d gone through so far and realizing how much shit she’d had to put with.

“Then you must have been picked up by the Ebony Carriage,” Jamil deduces. “Each coffin is connected to a mirror that will be carried by an Ebony Carriage. Only students who have received an invitation to the college will be able to access this mirror,” he explains.

She nods slowly, more out of politeness at this point instead of understanding.

“But wait—” Idia cuts in. “Wait, wait, wait. If you woke up in one of those coffins, then how did you get out?”

Erika blinks at him. 

“Oh yeah!” Kalim exclaims. “Shouldn’t those things be magically enforced, or something? So that none of the new students will wake up too early before the ceremony could even start?”

“Correct,” Jamil praises. “The Headmaster himself administered this spell, and only the 2nd years and 3rd years are supposed to know how to dispel it.”

Whilst the three of them are off in their own personal musings, Erika discretely turns her attention to Malleus who is wearing a very bewildered expression.

_Oh_ , she thinks, remembering something about the prologue that had made the TW fandom outrage when the game had come out.

“Pardon me,” Malleus speaks up, the deep intonation of his voice enough to halt his fellow schoolmates’ conversation. “But is there something going on? Why are we getting new students at this time?” 

There’s a distinctly deep furrow between his eyes and a certain tightness to his lips that makes his face look pinched.

It’s clear to all that he’s displeased at the implication of his lack of knowledge.

_They really did forget to invite him_ , she internally boggles at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know how I even juggle college life and this ¯\\_(ツ)_/ But when the plot bunnies hop, you don't ask why, you just do. HAHAHA. (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> Question, if we, like, remove Malleus's horns, will there be hair there or just two bald spots? I can't get my head on his hair growing around his horns ༼つಠ益ಠ༽つ ─=≡ΣO))
> 
> Common Name: Flowering dogwood


	7. Ranunculus acris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentatively, she slips her hand into his, noting how soft and warm his hand feels against her own.
> 
> How notably real it feels against her own, which only further proves how this isn’t a dream.
> 
> How none of it is.

Judging by the way Idia, Jamil, and Kalim do their very best to not meet the Diasomnia Dorm Head’s critical gaze, Erika can hazard a guess that they _really_ did forget.

_Oof,_ is her only opinion.

“I-I wasn’t assigned to tell you!” Idia stammers out his excuse, his flaming hair burning a bit higher in accord with his frayed nerves. “Riddle Rosehearts even came to Ignihyde to berate me about my absence...” Idia’s eyes darken, a look of irritation briefly flashing over his features before it quickly passes away when resigned regret takes its place. “He gave me the worst earful ever, and I fell for his baiting like some third-rate noob, urk!”

Kalim laughs in response to Idia’s story. “Riddle is really such a character!” He sounds exceptionally fond of his fellow Dorm Head, before a mischievous grin stretches wide across his lips. “I wonder what he’d be like at a party, would he probably loosen up?” He says aloud, a certain glint in his eyes.

“We’re not having another banquet,” Jamil is quick to shut his master down. “It took a lot of our time to even prepare for the incoming Scarabia students’ welcoming party, and you want to have another one so soon?!”

Kalim pouts.

Jamil then turns to Malleus. “I doubt Kalim was assigned this task, since he usually informs me about anything assigned to him.”

Malleus nods slowly, his creased expression gradually flattening out.

“Ah!” Kalim suddenly exclaims, hitting his fist atop his open palm. “I remember! We drew lots in yesterday’s meeting to see who’ll inform Idia and Malleus about the Entrance Ceremony.”

The pinched expression returns as Malleus mutters, “There was a meeting?”

_Bigger oof_. Erika feels really bad for Malleus, but there’s an element of irony there that makes it _really_ hard to fight back a snort.

In spite of the current mood, Kalim pushes on, “Yeah, yeah. Riddle got Idia, and then Leona got...Malleus.”

A wave of understanding settles on everyone’s features.

Even Erika, who’s played the game so many times, is able to understand that, yeah.

No wonder Malleus wasn’t informed.

“Well, regardless of whether Leona-senpai told Malleus-senpai or not, shouldn’t the rest of Diasomnia Dorm have informed you?” Jamil questions. “At the very least, I’m sure you must have noticed them being busy preparing for the new students.” 

Malleus tilts his head, his chin cradled tenderly between his fingers. “No wonder everybody seemed so occupied...” He murmurs. “I’d thought they were doing our monthly dorm clean-up, so I left since I didn’t want to get in their way…”

In the face of Malleus’s honest admission, Erika very much feels like she wants to hide her face in her hands.

Really, this man—!

“Well, no time like the present, yeah?” Kalim beams. “You should probably go change into your ceremony robes before the Entrance Ceremony starts! Even if you miss the beginning, at least you’ll be there, yeah?”

Malleus ponders over this for a few more moments before he eventually nods.

“I shall take my leave then,” Malleus suggests, before his gaze flickers to her.

Erika tenses, finding the unnatural slit-state of his pupil quite unnerving. 

_Like a cat’s eyes_ , she can’t help but compare to, and the image of Malleus in cat ears is enough to ease the uneasiness gripping her heart. 

“I trust that you’ll be able to handle her?” Malleus looks over to Kalim and Jamil.

Jamil opens his mouth, the relief evident on his face, but Kalim proves to be faster.

“I’m sorry, but we have something that we must _absolutely_ talk to the Headmaster about!” The Asim heir rejects with a frown and a shake of his head.

Jamil closes his mouth with an irritated sound, looking defeatedly at Kalim.

“Oya?” Malleus utters before his gaze slides to the next available person. “Then I believe the matter will fall in your hands this time, Shroud.”

Nervously, Erika turns towards Idia who doesn’t look one bit pleased with having to look after her.

“Hieee! Why me?!” Idia demands. “I have a lot of things to do back in Ignihyde, and I can’t possibly just—I just can’t!” 

Kalim makes some sort of mortified sound. “I’m sure whatever you have to do back in Ignihyde can wait! One of our juniors is in trouble and, as their seniors, it’s our duty to help them first and foremost!” He announces.

For some reason, Jamil brightens up, his lips curling into a pleased smile at his master’s input. “Kalim is right, Idia-senpai. We need to help our juniors when they’re in trouble,” he adds in an affectionate tone.

Erika can hear loud and clear the sly undertone in his words.

Helplessly, Idia looks over to Malleus for some semblance of sanctuary, but even the fae is smiling impishly, enjoying their little game.

“You’re already dressed in your ceremony robes, Shroud. I’m sure your duties back in your dorm can wait,” says Malleus with a tilt of his head.

Idia’s lips tremble, his flaming hair lashing out erratically behind him.

“You’re just pushing all the work on me—!” He complains.

Whilst laughing wholeheartedly at Idia's reluctant acceptance, Kalim turns to look at her.

Erika’s insides sink when her eyes come into contact with those dark red orbs of his, but the anxiety in her chest is somewhat relieved when Kalim shoots her another one of his charming smiles.

“Here, let me help you up!” He offers, extending his hand out to her.

Again, Erika nervously glances at Jamil who watches the two of them with serious intent. Their gazes meet for a moment, but Erika quickly averts her eyes back to Kalim’s hand.

Tentatively, she slips her hand into his, noting how soft and warm his hand feels against her own.

How notably _real_ it feels against her own, which only further proves how this isn’t a dream.

How none of it is.

“U~p we go!” Kalim cheers as he easily pulls her up, supporting her body just in time when she nearly stumbles into him.

She...hadn’t expected him to be this strong! 

Her head tries to wrap around it, but it makes sense since Kalim had always been described as a stamina-monster, never running out of energy even if he had to run an entire marathon. 

It makes a lot of sense, really, if he had the strength to match his vigor.

“Thank you,” she says quietly, a warmness settling deep into her gut.

Maybe she’s just overreacting. Maybe...this won’t be so ba—

She nearly coughs out the blood when the Scarabia Dorm Head swats her on the shoulder

“It’s no problem!” Kalim tells her in a loud and happy voice.

_He’s really fucking strong_ , she internally cries, holding onto her shoulder to massage the painful throb away.

She makes an internal note to keep a certain distance from him if she didn’t want any broken bones.

“Oh, you’re a bit singed here.” Kalim unhesitantly tugs on her sleeve that, when she checks—

“Ah,” she utters softly, more to herself than anybody else really. She brings her right arm closer to her face, inspecting the burnt hole in the sleeve where a sliver of her skin sits exposed.

Grim’s fire had really done a number on it.

As she continues to stare at the damage done to her ceremony robes, her stomach drops indirectly to the way her anxiety rises ever so strongly that she could feel it in the back of her throat.

She...Would she have to pay for this? Did any of the characters have to pay for their own ceremony robes? Or was it a gift given to them by the school for entering the college? Was _she_ even a fucking student?

_Another damn problem arises_ , she internally sighs.

“You look fine!” Kalim suddenly tells her, and she realizes that the worry must have shown on her face because he’s comfortingly patting her on her shoulder.

She winces. _Did he have to pat the one he’d just slapped?_

“Kalim,” Jamil calls. “We should probably go,” he advises. 

Kalim blinks for a moment, slowly registering the meaning behind Jamil’s words, then he stands up straighter.

“Ah, you’re right!” He slams his fist atop his open palm. “If we don’t hurry now, we won’t get ready in time!” He quickly hops over to the other side of the shrub with his childhood friend following his lead.

“Kalim, Viper.” Malleus halts them before they can go on their merry way. “May I join you? The Hall of Mirrors is in the same direction as the Headmaster’s Office, after all,” he adds.

Jamil’s left eyebrow twitches; other than that, though, he doesn’t express any other sign of his discomfort to the Diasomnia Dorm Head's request.

Kalim, on the other hand, widens his eyes, clearly stunned. His surprise doesn’t last for long, though, because his energy returns to him all at once and he’s no better than a child trembling from a particularly bad sugar rush.

“Of course, Malleus! The more the merrier, right?” He grins.

Malleus nods, his features slightly softening for a brief moment before his usual apathetic expression is back on for the entire world to see.

Erika watches them walk away, offhandedly noticing the different ways in which they walk, then she turns her attention to her supposed guide.

The look on Idia’s face is extremely relatable, and Erika feels somewhat comforted by it.

  
 _At least I’m not the only one scared_ , she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! Gym Leader Shroud will escort MC in the next chapter, I wonder what will happen? 🤔 
> 
> Stay tuned for tomorrow's chapter with Keeping up with those Twisted! ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
> 
> Common Name: Persian Buttercup


	8. Cyanocitta cristata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last grind.

The trek back to the Mirror Chamber is an awkward and nearly silent affair, the sound of their footprints the only thing reverberating around them.

Several times already, she has had to jog up to Idia in order to catch up to his inconsiderately long strides.

_Can’t he slow down?_ She exasperatedly thinks, her chest practically aflame with how much physical activity she’s gone through in less than two hours with hardly any rest.

It also doesn’t help that the hallway is so _dim_ , only lit up by torches whose weak glows make the dizziness _worse_ as she tries to wrap her head around all of the events that had just transpired.

A familiar and very unwelcome feeling creeps up the back of her throat, a stinging kind of sensation left in its wake.

_Shit,_ she internally curses, looking around for a trash bin or any of that sort that could be her lord and savior tonight.

When there’s no sign of one, she’s forced to fall back to her last resort.

After swallowing deeply in order to keep everything _down_ , she hurries forward and raises her hand to—

She stops, however, when her hand is just a few inches from grazing Idia’s shoulder.

_I shouldn’t touch him_ , she decides, watching the way his flaming hair whip to and fro, and the edges of it crackling quietly. _If I remember right, he might not appreciate strangers touching_.

“Um,” she speaks. When that doesn’t appear to faze Ignihyde’s Dorm Head, she repeats in a much louder voice, “Um!”

Idia makes a surprised sound, halting so fast that she’d have nearly run into him if she hadn’t caught herself in time. He whirls around to face her, and she notices then how eerie his features are when against the backdrop of a dark hallway.

_He really does look like a ghost,_ she thinks, craning her head back in order to better look at his face. _A really tall one_. 

“Can I go to the restroom?” She asks as softly as she can in order to avoid spooking him.

Idia blinks at her, his brows furrowing together. “You’re asking me...why?” He questions.

She forces a bemused smile on her lips.

“I don’t really know where it is,” she answers. “I’m hoping that you can show me where it is…? Before we go to the room with all those mirrors.”

Idia frowns. “Can’t you hold it in until then?”

She’s hardly fazed by his rudeness, because the curdling in her gut gets worse and—

“Please,” she asks one more time after another deep and long swallow.

The burning at the back of her throat worsens

Idia sighs, long and drawn out, before he eventually leads her to the direction from which they’d come from and hopefully to the nearest restroom.

.

..

…

..

.

After who knows how long, she stares at the beautiful rainbow she’d just made swirling around in the depths of the toilet bowl.

_Oh_ , she thinks idly, well aware of the crusty feeling on her cheeks from her tears having dried up. _There’s the omelet I had for lunch._

It takes a while for her to regain her bearings, her stomach twisting atrociously with even the simplest of breathing; by then, though, she’d already flushed her little mess and stumbled out of the bathroom stall, thanking every known deity that there’s good _plumbing_ in this godforsaken place. 

She catches herself on the sink, breathing heavily for a long while with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath, before she musters up the courage to look at herself in the mirror.

“Fuuuuuuck,” she breathes out.

She looks like a fucking _wreck_.

She stares at how ruffled her hair looks, sticking out this way and that in the best rendition of a bird’s nest, and how red and puffy her eyes are from crying her heart out over a toilet bowl like some low-budget Snow White singing to a well.

She takes it all in, letting it sink in at her own pace, before she releases out another heavy sigh.

Then, an idea comes to mind.

Curiously, Erika reaches for her lower back and tugs out her phone from her underwear.

She presses the power button and feels some semblance of relief when the screen glows with a soft light.

“At least you’re working,” she murmurs, pressing the tip to her forehead in silent gratitude.

When she checks her notifications, she’s disheartened to see zero messages from her family and friends. She tries re-sending her failed texts to them, and feels like crying when the red exclamation point appears next to her text bubble.

_Message cannot be delivered_.

“Dammit!” She slams her fist against the counter, the pain only heightening her frustration.

_Am I really in Twisted Wonderland?!_ She thinks, bordering between the planes of fear and anger because _fucking hell!_

“But how can this even happen?” She asks, looking at herself in the mirror. “How is this even _happening?!_ It’s just a game!” 

Yet, her reflection only continues to glare at her in the same way, utterly useless in this plight.

Utterly useless in this world.

She doesn’t even have _magic_ , for fuck’s sake. She’s as stupidly ordinary as they come!

But—

_Speaking of the game._ She glances back down at her phone, where the chat between her and her father can be seen reflected off of the screen. 

With trepidation as the source of her heartbeat, she brings down her notification center and checks.

Unexpectedly, the topmost notification is of the app Twisted Wonderland informing her of her full AP.

What’s _most_ curious about it is that it had been sent just 28 minutes ago.

And Erika is _sure_ that everything that's happened so far can’t _possibly_ fit within half an hour.

_Or maybe I could be wrong_ , she thinks, hopes, even as she swipes that notification to the right.

The app opens with a familiar curtain of dark grey being the first thing she sees on her screen. 

She patiently waits as the logos of very prominent companies flash through and, when that’s done, she expects the familiar Error Code: -1009 informing her of a communication error to appear.

“What the fuck,” she breathes out, watching as four distinct coffin icons appear on her screen, the little _Loading_ insignia sitting underneath it.

As if mocking her, the light on the leftmost coffin blinks out, appearing in the one to its right before it does the exact same thing.

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the _fuck_.” A string of curses freely flow out of her mouth.

The game is fucking loading.

The game is fucking _loading_.

Eventually, the coffins blink out.

But what comes next is worse.

_“Twisted Wonderland~”_

Idia—the very same fucking _Idia_ who’s waiting outside for her—says through her phone’s speakers in the familiar tone of his.

Blankly, Erika stares at the app’s touch screen.

The touch screen that should have _never_ loaded in if there wasn’t an internet connection.

Quickly, she exits the app and checks her wi-fi settings.

_I’m not even connected to anything_ , she internally sobs, so very, very _confused_.

“But,” she mutters, once more returning her screen to the Twisted Wonderland app.

She gently taps the touch screen and, after a few seconds, her home screen appears with the news section blocking everything from sight. 

Without even thinking about it, she closes it, and yep. 

There’s Azul.

The Dorm Head of Octavinelle greets her from the screen, his pre-set lines registering familiarly in her mind.

“...I should delete this,” she murmurs.

It’d be dangerous, after all, if anybody caught her with this kind of reality-breaking game.

Or have her imprisoned for being some kind of _really_ devoted stalker to be able to have a mobile game of this calibre, goddammit.

With a trembling heart, she opens the card section of the app and nearly weeps when she concludes that, if she deletes this game, she’ll never get to see everything she’s worked so hard to roll for—!

She settles her phone on her sink and stares down at all of the SSR’s and SR’s she’s collected so far.

_Even my R’s,_ she thinks, absolutely _heartbroken_ at the very thought of having to delete this and never get the chance to play it whilst in this world, much less _look_ at it.

And who knows how long she'll even be here?!

It’s really stupid of her to feel so despondent over this, especially when she already has an account to retrieve all of her saved memory, but—!

She really _does_ enjoy this game.

And, as evidence has just suggested, she’s even able to _play it_ in this world.

“...One last grind,” she whispers with resolution burning in her heart. 

She taps open the lesson section and sets her current team on a looping round.

_One last grind_ , she thinks as she moves over to another sink in order to clean herself up to the best of her abilities.

One last grind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter I’ve grinded d=(´▽｀)=b I’m kinda behind on rewriting my notes, but I’ll catch up on it tomorrow~ 
> 
> See you in the next chapter (.づσ▿σ)づ.
> 
> Common Name: Blue Jay


	9. Suricata suricatta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my fucking— She herself cuts off her own thoughts, unashamedly boggling at the, the, the—
> 
> The FURRIES’ EARS.

“Thank you,” are the first words out of her mouth the minute she walks out of the restroom. “I hope I didn’t make you wait that long,” she adds, one of her hands coming up to nervously twirl some strands of her hair that had been lying over her shoulder.

Though she’d been able to finger-comb her hair into something presentable, there was hardly anything she could do about the puffiness of her eyes.

_Hopefully, this will hide it,_ she thinks as her fingers graze the edges of her hood, which she’d pulled over her head.

Idia shakes his head at her words. He opens his mouth, clearly about to say something, before he closes it shut with pursed blue lips.

She tilts her head at him, internally wondering what he’d been about to tell her.

“...Ne-Nevermind. We should probably...get going,” he mutters instead, quickly averting his gaze from her shadowed face.

Soon after those words had slipped out his lips, Ignihyde’s Dorm Head turns on his heel and begins walking away.

Erika blinks, perplexed, as she watches the way his distinctly flaming hair whip about from left to right, as if particularly agitated about something.

_He really isn’t good with words,_ she absently notes, but there’s a certain fondness that nonetheless blooms whole-heartedly in her chest. 

That fondness shrivels up, though, when she notices how inconsiderately _fast_ he’s walking, and she hurries after him with a quiet curse.

.

..

…

..

.

Erika can very well feel her sins crawling down her back. 

Or, to be more factual, tucked into her underwear.

_I couldn’t do it_ , she internally sighs, feeling the lump made by her phone even more prominently as she sits on top of the coffin that she’d just recently broken out of. 

She just loved that damn game too much. If it were her only release in this insane reality that she'd somehow landed herself in, then by gods will she cherish it than fucking forsake it.

Accidentally, in the midst of her musings, she makes eye contact with one of the students staring at her and swallows in a sigh when he immediately turns away and whispers something to his friend.

Though she is well aware of the whispers and curious glances sent her way, she still tries her best to ignore them all and turns her attention to her twiddling fingers atop her lap.

However, no matter how much she tries to block out the noise, she’s too _alert_ to not take note of any conversations happening near her.

“Hey, hey. Isn’t that the first-year who broke out of his coffin?” One student close enough to where she’s sitting murmurs to another.

“Yeah, yeah. Those from Savanaclaw came first, and they saw that one of the coffin lids had been knocked onto the ground with a dent on the bottom and a pair of shoes by the door.”

The first one who’s spoken whistles out a long and drawn-out tune.

In other cases, Erika would have been more impressed with his whistle-blowing skills; however, considering the situation, it hardly even registers in her mind.

Embarrassed, she flushes so badly that she can even feel a bit of warmth in the back of her eyes.

She thought she was kidnapped, okay?! And she had to remove her shoes because she needed to make a quick escape!

She looks down at the heels that are now back on her feet and glares mulishly at them in accusation.

“You two seem like you’re having fun,” somebody comments.

At the eerie silence that comes after, Erika looks up, interested as to what had transpired.

Her mouth nearly falls open when her eyes land upon a head with a pair of familiar cowlicks shaped into a distinct heart.

“D-Dorm Head Rosehearts!” The two students— _Heartslabyul students_ , she presumes—exclaim in surprise.

“I see that you’re having a grand time dawdling around,” Riddle(?!) drawls out, his eyes glinting coldly from underneath his furrowed brows. “If you have that much time to gossip, then you’d best help the rest wake up the first-year students,” he reprimands in a harsh tone.

Erika vaguely registers the nervous affirmations stammered out from both Heartslabyul students, her gaze firmly locked onto the severe expression painting the infamous—

When a pair of silver eyes turn to meet her, she nervously casts her gaze to the two retreating students that had just gotten an earful, unprepared to clash gazes with the feared Dorm Head of Heartslabyul for any longer than a second.

_Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck,_ she sings panickedly in her mind, her eyes _trembling_ from within her sockets and no, she’s not fucking exaggerating.

Consequently, her gaze passes over a group of peculiarly tall individuals and she immediately zones in on them, trying to look as interested and busy as possible to ward off anyone eccentric enough to approach her.

_Ah_ , she belatedly realizes. It’s not that they’re stupidly _tall_ , per say, it’s just that their hoods are covering their—

Their…

_Oh my fucking—_ She herself cuts off her own thoughts, unashamedly boggling at the, the, the—

The _furries’ ears_.

She blatantly stares at them this time, truthfully engrossed.

A group of them heaves open a coffin and, judging by how burly-looking they are despite being _students_ , it looks to be _really_ heavy.

_...Is that why they’re making such a fuss?_ She internally wonders, watching as one of them waves his magical pen over the sleeping first year in the coffin, sparkles flying off of the tip and covering the incoming student's face.

“Are you done over here?” A different student asks as he walks over to the group. “We still got a couple more over there.” He gestures off to the side. “Maaa~ Those Scarabia and Diasomnia guys sure are taking their lovely time,” he passively complains, clasping his interlocked fingers on the back of his head. 

The motion jostles the hood he’s been wearing, making it slip down just enough for a pair of grayish-brown ears.

As she notices how canine-like those ears are as they twitch, the owner of said ears turns his head just precisely enough that he’s able to see her.

Their gazes lock for a brief moment, broken only by Erika immediately turning her head away.

_If_ , she starts off a bit shakily, a nervous sweat trailing down the back of her neck. _If I’m not wrong, then that should be Ruggie._

She makes very sure to not look in that direction again, no matter how tempting their ears are.

Without so much as a warning, the large double doors are flung open and in walks Kalim and Jamil with what she assumes to be the rest of Scarabia Dorm after them.

“Sorry for being late!” Kalim announces as he strides jovially into the room. “We ran into some trouble a while ago, ehe, but we’re finally here to help!”

Trailing closely behind him, Jamil wears a long-suffering look, thoroughly used to his master’s exuberance and having reached his daily capacity _hours_ ago.

A student suddenly steps up to Kalim who halts in his tracks at the unexpected deterrent.

Erika would be a fool to not recognize this student.

“Ah, Kalim,” Azul— _My home screen doorman!_ Her mind hysterically wails, and she can hardly fault it—greets his fellow Dorm Head with an amiable enough tone. “I’m afraid you came too late. We’re just about done here,” he says in a voice that’s just _this_ side of sullen.

Kalim’s expression falls, and Erika so desperately wants to scream to him, _No! No, don’t believe him!_

Yet, the guilty look on Kalim’s face is easily amended with a cheeky smile. 

“Ehe~ I see. Then we’ll just help with moving the coffins aside for the ceremony!” He suggests.

Azul nods, a tender smile spilling out on his lips. “If you’d be so kind, then.”

Erika averts her gaze to this spectacle, knowing very well the true sinister depths of Azul’s kindness.

_However…_ She takes note of. _By the looks of it, aside from those belonging to Diasomnia Dorm, all of the major characters appear to be here_ _._

“Oh! Idia! You’re actually here!” Kalim bounds over to Idia who’s still being bombarded by his little brother, Ortho. “I’m glad to see that you've decided to stay! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you attend a public ceremony, hehe,” he chuckles with no real malicious intent.

From where she’s sitting, she can hardly hear Idia’s quiet response, but Ortho more than makes up for it.

“Isn’t it amazing?! Brother rarely goes but today...he really did keep his word!” Ortho beams, the ray to Kalim’s sunshine as he floats about in his sleek Burst Gear.

Idia’s hair practically snaps out to hit Kalim when he laughs, but Jamil manages to pull Kalim back in time before he gets a facefull of fire.

“By the way,” Kalim asks loudly. “Where’s that first-year you were supposed to escort?”

At Kalim’s statement, Erika tenses, quickly getting up from the coffin, and prepares to make a hasty retreat to somewhere else.

It’s too late, though, because Idia easily points to where she is and Kalim turns to look at her.

The beaming smile on his face actually makes her insides _tremble_.

Fortunately for her, before he could even call out to her, the main doors open once more and in comes Crowley(?!) in all his feathery glory with the rest of the faculty and the main cast of Diasomnia filing behind him.

For as grateful as she is for the timely distraction, Erika can hardly feel delighted when her gaze fleets from one familiar face to the next, the sinking hole in her stomach getting deeper.

_Crewel. Trein. Vargas. Malleus. Lilia. And Silver._

_Wait_. Her panicking comes to a brief pause, finally remembering an important detail. _Wasn't Malleus_ not _supposed to be here? And Idia too?_

The anxiety returns two fold because, _shit_ , had she maybe altered something? It's true that Grim had chased her like in the prologue but not once did she even run into the Headmaster whilst desperately fleeing.

Instead, she'd run into not only Malleus and Idia but also Kalim and Jamil. An event that she _knows_ had never been a part of the game.

Her heart drops into the sink hole residing within her stomach. She wonders if this has any sort of consequences, and just the very thought of it is enough to make the stinging sensation creep back into her throat with a merciless vengeance.

As much as she appreciates the sight of Ortho excitedly fluttering around Idia and Malleus standing in his ceremony robes with the rest of his dormmates, she can hardly shrug off the mounting dread on her shoulders.

_What's going to happen to me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:
> 
> Nine chapters in and she hasn’t talked to Crowley yet HAHA—How will things turn out, I wonder? ⁀⊙﹏☉⁀
> 
> Oh yeah! Know very well that furries refer to those who are enthusiastic about characters who are animals or has animal-like characteristics, and NOT the actual characters themselves aha. MC misrepresented them in her panic.
> 
> This was honestly supposed to be longer but I halved it haha. You guys can expect an early chapter tomorrow~
> 
> Common Name: Meerkat


	10. Capreolus capreolus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yana Toboso really did him justice, she thinks, starstruck by what might as well have been a God of beauty in human skin. Or some nature spirit that was given corporeal form.

She isn’t given a moment to fret over her future, because a distinct _thud_ reverberates strongly throughout the room.

When she looks up, she sees Headmaster Crowley standing before the large mirror set in the very forefront of the room with his cane angled before him.

The man takes one long and good look at everything in the room before he slowly opens his mouth.

“My goodness! It’s only a quarter til’ the Entrance Ceremony starts and you haven’t finished waking up the first-years yet?!” He, for a lack of a better term, _crows_ in the same way he would in the game. “Students! If you could all please hurry up, I’d be very much thankful!”

Despite the supposedly sarcastic words, the headmaster sounds genuinely serious and worried.

A few of the students shout out their affirmation while others grumble out their complaints; regardless, all of them quickly double-time on their work.

Seeing them moving around so restlessly, she murmurs, “I should probably help.” 

She didn’t want to be a burden, after all. And standing meaninglessly while everybody is running about only paints a bigger target on her back.

A strange movement occurs in the corner of her eye; curiously, she turns to look at it and her eyes nearly bulge out at the sight.

“Oi! Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” A student snarls, standing up from his low crouch. “You nearly took off my head with that!” 

“I missed, didn’t I?” The other student huffs with a roll of his eyes. He has his magical pen out, its gem palpably glowing, and directed towards an empty coffin that’s levitating off of the ground with gleaming stardust surrounding it.

She has to manually close her mouth. 

It’s true that she’d witnessed not only Grim but Malleus and Idia as well in action, but—

_It really is amazing_ , is all she can think of, speechless.

Magic truly is amazing. 

And it really was a sad reality that her own world had never been capable of such feats.

After dazedly watching such a feat, she turns to her own coffin and tries her very best to push it but with good old physical prowess on her side.

_I wonder if I should hide in here… It’s not like they’ll notice one student gone._ She contemplates a way to somehow ditch this ceremony as she struggles to _push_ but nope. 

It’s not budging at _all_ , what the fuck.

How was she even able to break out of this boulder of a coffin?!

“Fufufu, it appears that you are in need of help, monsieur.”

A voice so very close to her ear that she can practically _feel_ their breath against her skin makes her jolt upright, whirling around to face the offender.

She comes face to face with a broad chest and, after a few moments of processing the beautiful golden embroidery before her eyes, she trails her gaze upward and lo and behold.

Her brain may as well have exploded then and there.

“Bonjour, première année,” Rook(?!?!?!) smiles, his white teeth _gleaming_ , and looking for all the world like a hawk that has just spotted its new catch of the day.

_Fuuuck,_ Erika sounds out. _When one problem goes away, another takes its fucking place!_

When Rook continues to smile silently at her, she presumes that he must be waiting for her reply.

Not wanting to be rude and, maybe, possibly, _shortening her lifespan_ , Erika inclines her head and nervously stutters, “B-Bonjour,” in the worst pronunciation ever.

_Holy shit_ , she thinks as she pinches her eyes shut, a horrible combination of embarrassed and scared. _Why did I say that?! Did I offend him?!_

Tentatively, Erika cracks open her eyes and sees that Rook looks pleasantly surprised by her response, his brows drawn high.

She tilts her head, puzzled by his reaction, and watches as his expression eventually evens out into a placid one.

“Would you like some help with that?” Rook gestures to her coffin and, a bit dumbly, she follows his hand. “I couldn’t help but notice the monsieur having a bit of trouble with that.”

With wide eyes, Erika turns to look up at Rook, having not expected his kind offer.

“Um...if it’s alright with you? It’s very heavy though,” she warns, fidgeting a bit. “We can push it together,” she suggests because it’d be _really_ inconsiderate of her to not at least lend a hand when she’d just asked for one.

Yet, Rook only continues to smile at her, the edges of it curling slightly and making him look more amused than anything else.

“It’s fine, monsieur. I can do it on my own,” he assures her.

A bit skeptical, Erika watches as he bunches his sleeves up and—

_Oh yeah_ , she thinks, reprimanding herself. Rook’s last name is _Hunt_ for a damn good reason, and ohhh did his favorite pastime definitely show in his arms. 

_Damn, damn, damn_ , are the only words choo-chooing in her head. 

Effortlessly, Rook pushes her coffin to the wall.

When he turns to look at her, she summons what rationality she has left and numbly thanks him.

Rook only chuckles. “A senior must always help their junior,” he says.

Though it has the same meaning as Kalim’s words from earlier this evening, the same slyness as Jamil’s is evidently there in his voice as he utters this. 

Wordlessly, she nods.

She flinches away, though, when Rook suddenly reaches his hand out to her.

As she stares up at his open palm, she belatedly realizes that he’d been intending to _pat_ her on the head.

In spite of this realization, she hardly makes a move to accept his head pat. 

Instead, she warily takes a step back, widening the distance between them and clearly unwilling to be touched so casually by a _stranger_.

_We’re not close enough to be doing that now, are we?_ She thinks, cautiously looking up at him from underneath her hood.

Nevertheless, offending him is the last thing she wants and she hastily apologizes. “I just don’t like being touched,” is the plain excuse she’s able to come up with.

In response to her evasiveness, Rook merely tilts his head in an innocent manner, looking unbothered for all the world to see.

His green eyes, though, are sharply set on her.

He opens his mouth—

“Rook!” 

Erika’s gaze flickers past to the left, and she supposes that she shouldn't have been that surprised to find Vil Schoenheit striding gracefully towards them with his ceremony robes flowing elegantly around him.

Nonetheless, Erika is, in all honesty, stunned.

Because _damn_.

_Yana Toboso really did him justice_ , she thinks, starstruck by what might as well have been a God of beauty in human skin. Or some nature spirit that was given corporeal form.

She must have blanked out for a while, too lost in her mind-spinning admiration, because a few taps on her shoulder—the uninjured one—snaps her out of her daze.

When she comes to, she finds Rook smiling cheerfully at her as he retracts his hand, his Dorm Head just a step behind him and quirking a fine brow at her.

Flustered at having been caught, Erika averts her gaze and tries to ignore the heat at the back of her neck. 

Her embarrassment must amuse Rook for he chuckles warmly.

“Will the color of your soul fit Pomefiore, I wonder?” Rook muses, making her tense up at the very _thought_ of it. 

She’d hardly be able to sleep a wink if that was the case.

“Regardless, it was good to meet you, monsieur chevreuil.” Rook inclines his head to her before he turns to Vil. “Shall we go, my Roi de Poison?” 

Vil sighs out through his lips, and Erika boggles at how he makes even _that_ look beautiful.

“You’ve kept me waiting long enough,” is all he says, before he stalks off, hardly passing a glance at Erika, with Rook devotedly trailing after him without even waiting for a goodbye from her.

As much as she wants to say how disheartened she is by Vil’s blatant disinterest in her, Erika can only feel relieved by it.

_One less thing to worry about_.

Suddenly, the glow of the candlelights dim, shrouding the room in near darkness, and Erika knows, even without anybody having to tell her, that the entrance ceremony is about to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ten and we’re FINALLY in the Entrance Ceremony HAHA.
> 
> Other than that, have ya’ll seen the news? Another event is coming up with the first part of the Pomefiore arc just behind its heels, gdi. Pray that I’ll be able to summon Deuce in his beautiful dancer costume. (ノAヽ) I’ve been so very kind, haven’t I? HAHAHA
> 
> Common Name: Roe deer


	11. Acinonyx jubatus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who—?! She whirls around, a fire building in her chest because goddammit she was so close!
> 
> This time, when her gaze meets the one who’d stopped her, she holds it.

“I welcome you, my dear students. You, who have all been seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror,” Crowley greets in a distinctly authoritative voice that booms from all corners of the room. “I’m sure you’re all very excited to begin your life here at Night Raven College, but there’s one thing that we must do first.”

He gestures to the large mirror behind him, smoke pluming mysteriously from within its reflected depths.

“Assigning you to your respective dorms is a tradition that we of Night Raven College have upheld for the past century, and this year will certainly be no different!” He dramatically ends with.

Erika can very well feel the tension his words create, the tension around her practically _vibrating_ with their silent excitement and frayed nerves. 

_Can’t relate_ , she unhappily thinks, wrapping her arms around herself to somehow make herself look smaller in this crowd. 

“If all incoming first-year students would line up by the center aisle in an orderly fashion,” Crowley requests, twirling his cane in a way that Erika is incredibly impressed with.

As soon as he says this, the crowd around her lurches as a whole. Seniors immediately part to make way for their first years who all eagerly make their way to the center, a few even bumping shoulders in their enthusiasm.

One particularly overzealous first-year jostles into her shoulder on the way, the unexpected force from it nearly knocking her off of her feet if not for her catching herself just in time. 

_Motherfucker_ , she internally hisses. She understands that they’re all excited, really, but couldn’t they have some common decency to say _excuse me?_

Withholding a weary sigh, she turns on her heel and goes the exact opposite way, uninterested in getting _sorted_.

_Maybe I should use this chance to talk to Crowley_ , is her ingenious plan. _If I tell him beforehand, maybe he’ll listen to me._

With her mind made up, she squeezes her way through the crowd, politely pardoning herself to each person she passes, so she could reach the back and get a better overview of the room.

_Damn heads_ , she thinks, wobbling on the balls of her feet. Just as she’s about to give up, she spots the Headmaster’s top hat over at the other side of the room.

A sudden pressure changes the atmosphere in the room and, curiously, she wonders what’s going on.

**_“State thy name.”_ **

An otherworldly voice echoes throughout the room, and a wave of silence falls over the crowd of students as the selection process begins anew.

As intrigued as Erika is, she has more dire matters to worry about.

_I could always replay this on my phone_ , she thinks, creeping her way around the crowd and trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

_Trying_ being the keyword, because it’s as if she’s ever tried sneaking her way into something.

_Maybe that one time though,_ she can’t help but reminisce on, back to when she’d been younger and more foolhardy; more daring and definitely less stressed with her studies.

She breaks her train of thoughts, though, when she finally catches sight of Crowley a dozen steps away.

Thinking it to be idiotic of her to call out to him in the middle of an important ceremony, she opts to shorten the distance between them, at least close enough to tap him on the back.

Hope rises in her chest as she inches nearer and nearer.

When she’s just a few steps away from him, she stretches her arm out, prepared to touch him—

Yet, once again, she’s stopped by a strong tug to her arm that sends her _back_.

_Who—?!_ She whirls around, a fire building in her chest because _goddammit_ she was so close!

This time, when her gaze meets the one who’d stopped her, she _holds_ it.

She regrets it soon enough.

“Kufufu, and where do you think you’re going?” Lilia Vanrouge smiles disarmingly at her, his blood-red eyes practically _glowing_ from underneath the hood over his head.

Involuntarily, she makes a small and pathetic sound in her throat, barely audible.

However, by how the edges of Lilia’s lips curl ever so slightly, she figures he must have heard her.

“Malleus, is this the first-year who you were talking about, yes?” Lilia asks, turning his head slightly to look up at his liege.

She tenses, her gaze moving over to the other two individuals that had come up to stand on either side of Lilia.

Malleus tilts his head at her, his chin carefully tucked in between his fingers. He stares at her for a moment, as if looking for something, before he softly answers, “Yes. She’s the one.”

She flinches at the correct pronoun used for her. As much as she appreciates the correct representation, she hardly believes it’s the more logical thing to use when in her situation.

As expected, Lilia’s gaze flickers back to her, a sharpness in his eyes that hadn’t been there a minute ago.

“An extraordinary happenstance,” is all Lilia can say about it. 

_More like the workings of fanfic_ , she sarcastically retorts in her head. _One that is a solid 0/10, by my fucking books._

“A woman…?” 

She turns her attention to the other individual standing on Lilia’s right and isn’t all that surprised to see Silver there.

“I didn’t know that the Ebony Carriages could bring women to this college,” Silver comments, sounding slightly baffled.

His gaze barely falls on her and, for that, she’s grateful for it.

Lilia hums, “They shouldn’t have. They haven’t in a hundred years and yet…” 

His eyes narrow as his smile turns impish.

“It appears they’ve made an exception,” he drawls. 

Even as the blood pumping in her ears tells her _no, no, don’t you fucking dare_ , she still forces herself to talk.

“Excuse me,” she starts with, cautiously tugging on her arm and keeping her eyes carefully locked onto his shoulder. “But, I’d like to speak with the Headmaster. I...I think there’s been a mistake.”

Lilia’s gaze shifts from her, most likely to where Crowley is.

“You can do it after the Entrance Ceremony,” he advises in a kind voice that Erika isn’t sure if it’s real or not. “It’d be rude if you pulled Headmaster Crowley aside when the selection is still going on,” he says as a matter-of-fact.

She sees his reasoning; however, she knows for a fact that it’d be _ruder_ of her to let the game’s events unfold before her very eyes.

She opens her mouth to protest—

“Silver, dear, could you lead her to where the other first-years are?” Lilia suddenly asks, looking up at his adopted son with eyes that are considerably softer and warmer than before. “We wouldn’t want her to stray again.”

Silver nods quietly.

Lilia looks back at her. “You be good and follow him, okay?” 

Erika flinches at the double meaning in his words. When she tugs her arm away once more, it comes free but she knows all too well that it’s not a matter of her strength that bought her freedom.

It’s only because he’d let her go.

“Follow me,” Silver tells her.

Helplessly, she follows him until they’re at the line where the first-years are. When Silver nudges her back, she reluctantly comes to stand at the very end.

“...You’ll be fine,” Silver consoles her in his own way, probably having sensed how _harried_ she is over this whole turn of events

Despite his little act of kindness, Erika can’t find it in herself to appreciate it.

They did, after all, stop her from talking to Crowley and, petulant as she is, she comes to begrudge them for it.

She waits, anxiously, as the line gets shorter and shorter, as the incoming students introduce themselves and the Evil Mirror sorts them into their destined dorms.

As exciting as the Entrance Ceremony had been in the game, she’s completely _terrified_ of it—of the very notion that she’ll be _humiliated_ in front of all of these people.

After all, she knows very well that she is _not_ a magician. 

Not one of _them_.

Eventually, the line nearly reaches its end, with only her remaining and the one before her being judged.

She hardly listens to the sorting before hers, absolutely petrified and nervous beyond her belief.

_Why couldn’t this have been a dream?_ She wants to cry.

It’s not long after that she feels a nudge at her back; when she checks, she nearly exclaims in surprise when she comes face to face with a particularly irked Heartslabyul Dorm Head.

“It’s your turn,” is all Riddle says, nudging her back once more to get her moving.

Almost robotically, she turns back to face the Dark Mirror and she then only notices that it’s her turn.

_Goddammit_ , she thinks, aware of the light tremors wracking her fingers.

Tentatively, she steps forward until she’s standing in the frontmost center.

She feels as if she’s getting on the executioner’s platform.

**_“State thy name,”_** the Evil Mirror asks directly, looming at her from its dimension within the mirror, its eyesockets no better than endless abysses just waiting to consume her.

Erika clenches her fists, unwilling to go with this, _scared_ to go with this, wanting to just _go home_.

**_“State thy name_** ,” it repeats, persistent and ungiving of any fucks.

As the unforgiving pressure from the gazes of students and staff alike continues to bear down on her, it looks like she has no other options left. 

She shudders once more, then relents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do these TW characters always block the MC?!
> 
> Because I want to, that's why. ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
> 
> Common Name: Cheetah


	12. Sciurus carolinensis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She has to hold down her shiver when those yellow pinpricks turn to her.
> 
> It’s one thing when it’s in the game, she internally sobs. But it’s another to see it in real life!
> 
> Crowley looks like one of those monsters hiding in children’s closets and traumatizing them with their beady eyes glowing in the crack of the open door.

“Erika,” she states, clenching onto the fabric of her robes and trying to reign in her trembling in front of all of the people, of all of these eyes.

**_“Your whole name, child,”_ ** specifies the Dark Mirror, squinting its dark orbits at her. 

Completely frightened out of her wits, she hardly registers the entirety of its words and repeats, “Erika.”

The Dark Mirror stares at her for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Then, its expression creases even further, as if in contemplation.

**_“The shape of thy soul is…”_ **

_Here it goes_ , she thinks, squeezing her eyes shut.

**_“I cannot say.”_ **

She shrinks in on herself at the admission, her ears ringing with the bemused murmurs arising from the crowd.

She hears somebody come up to her, the _tap, tap, tap_ of their heels clicking against the ground a welcome focus to incoherent words reaching her ears.

She jolts when something solid lands atop her shoulder and, when she checks, she boggles at the gleaming gold nail guards she finds there.

“Can you repeat that, Dark Mirror?” Crowley asks, and she’s able to see that the yellow pinpricks of light in the eyeholes of his masks are focused solely on the aforementioned artifact. 

**_“I cannot say,”_** repeats the Dark Mirror, staring back at the Headmaster. **_“Whatever this child is, I unable to see their soul. The color, the shape…_** ”

Erika doesn’t have to look to know that the Dark Mirror is looking at her again.

The intensity of it is enough.

**_“All are indeterminate. It’s as if looking at a mirror,”_ ** the Dark Mirror hums, sounding intrigued by its own irony. **_“What you’re able to see is only your reflection, but nothing about its depth. Nothing about its value or even its core.”_ **

“Are you saying that even your all-seeing eyes are unable to glimpse into this one’s soul?” Crowley asks, sounding baffled, and his question makes the crowd of murmuring grow wilder and higher. “Silence!” He commands, slamming his cane down harshly on the ground.

Erika flinches but is held firmly into place by the hand on her shoulder.

Immediately, the room goes silent.

The Dark Mirror doesn’t answer the question. Instead, it says, **_“This child is not suited for any of the dormitories here.”_ **

Crowley makes some sort of irritated sound. “But that’s impossible! Never has a person’s soul been unable to be seen! It is their _soul_ , for goodness’s sake!” He exclaims, the feathers on his shoulders fluffing up for some inexplicable reason. “There must be a plausible explanation for this!”

It’s as if a lightbulb had lit up in her head, because she’s suddenly filled with just the _grandest_ idea yet.

“Um...Headmaster.” She attempts to get his attention by getting a firm hold onto the sleeve of his shirt and pulling on it a few times.

She has to hold down her shiver when those yellow pinpricks turn to her.

_It’s one thing when it’s in the game_ , she internally sobs. _But it’s another to see it in real life!_

Crowley looks like one of those monsters hiding in children’s closets and traumatizing them with their beady eyes glowing in the crack of the open door.

“I don’t think the Dark Mirror is at fault,” she says in a quiet enough voice that only the Headmaster will be able to hear. 

Those pinpricks of light disappear for a moment before reappearing.

_...Was that a blink?_ She wonders, so very, very confused and weirded out.

“And why would you say that?” Crowley asks, matching the volume of her voice for propriety’s sake.

She’s internally grateful for that—for what _privacy_ he’s able to give in this kind of situation.

_You’re as kind as you say you are_ , she praises, making a note to tap his game version on the head for being really, _really_ good. 

“You see…” She begins, her confidence faltering for a moment as she tries to piece the words together. “I don’t think I’m supposed to be a student here,” she confesses. 

Crowley’s expression pinches, his lips thinning.

Before he could so much as open his mouth, she beats him to it.

“I don’t have magic, _sir_ ,” she tells him, straight to the point. “And I’m _very_ sure about that because I don’t belong _here_.”

Again, the pinpricks of light briefly disappear. “That’s even more preposterous,” he furiously whispers back. “An Ebony Carriage would _never_ pick up somebody without magic!”

Feeling a bit of _ire_ at Crowley’s quick dismissal, she retorts, “Well, it made a mistake, ‘cause here I am. Magic-less and _not_ a man.”

In her frustration to prove a damn fucking point, she pushes aside the front of her ceremony robes and points at her more feminine characteristics. 

“We can even do a medical examination to prove that these aren’t fake,” she hisses, honestly just fed up at this point. Belatedly, she remembers where she is and adds, “Sir,” in as polite a voice as she can muster.

Crowley’s mouth opens and stays like that for a good long while, his gaze staying for a respectfully short amount of time on her chest and curves before it settles on her shadowed face.

Considerately, she pushes the hood back a bit; not enough to reveal herself to the crowd at large, but enough for Crowley to see her face. 

They must have stayed silent and unmoving for quite some time, because somebody else loudly clears their throat.

As one, the two of them turn to face the intruder.

“Dire,” says an elderly man— _Professor Trein_ , her brain slowly connects and wow. _Wow_ did he certainly age well. “Is there a problem?”

There is a concerningly _freezing_ stare he’s giving them.

That apparently seems to be enough to snap Crowley out of his trance, because he takes a step forward and—

She blinks, surprised that he came up to stand before her, effectively blocking her from others’ sights.

“Just a little issue,” Crowley smoothly responds with. “I’m afraid this one’s selection will have to be postponed for another time, due to the technical difficulties at hand,” he sighs out morosely, sounding deeply troubled and disappointed.

Erika has to hand it to him. He’s being _extremely_ convincing.

For a moment, Erika locks gazes with Trein’s but she is immediately blocked by Crowley who inches to the right.

“For now, I believe it best that the Dormitory Heads show the new students back to the dormitories,” Crowley advises, pointedly turning his gaze to each Dormitory Head.

Erika feels relief at all of this being over, at least able to keep what dignity she has left after the whole ordeal of events.

Now, she could finally talk to Crowley about—

“Nyargh! And where do you think you’re going?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or, the chapter where MC and Crowley furiously whisper to each other and everybody else (excluding the beastmen and fae) just wants to know what’s up.
> 
> Grim is finally here and I just—Baby boy pls. Anyways, I'mma be taking a break tomorrow since I have a test RIP hehe.
> 
> Common Name: Squirrel


	13. Gulo gulo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Holy fuck,” she breathes out, no longer hiding the tremble wracking from the very core of her soul to the hairs on her skin. 
> 
> Couldn’t Grim just fucking chill?

Her heart quivers at those eight words and, slowly, she tilts her head back.

_Ah_ , is all she’s able to come up with, hysteria the mixer to her thoughts as she tries, _really_ , to comprehend what she’s seeing.

A sinister grin stretches itself wide across Grim’s furry features, the flames flaring from his ears casting a soft blue hue to the crystals of the chandelier that he’s precariously standing on.

“Nyahahaha! You thought you could run away from the Great Grim so easily, human?!” Grim cackles tremendously, stretching his little arms out to emphasize his amusement. “You dumb fool!” 

She raises her eyes brows at that.

“...You know it?” Crowley quietly asks her, turning his head slightly to look at her over his shoulder.

“I’ve...met him,” she admits. “He chased me away when I broke out of my coffin.”

Here, Crowly suddenly turns to face her, an almost scandalized twist to his mouth as he gazes down at her with those eerie eye lights of his.

“You broke out of your coffin?!” He exclaims, sounding horrified out of his wits. “Do you know how much one of those costs?! An entire month’s salary, I’ll have you know!” He chastises her, shaking his cane at her as if she were a disobedient dog who shat on his bed. “Did you break it?!”

She winces, mentally adding the probable charge to her debt count. 

“I don’t think so,” she answers. As much as the rumors had exaggerated her leaving a dent on it, much more a _crack_ , she’d sat on the goddamn thing a while ago and it didn’t look any worse for wear. 

The pinpricks in Crowley’s eyeholes grow bigger, trembling somewhat. “What do you mean you do—”

“NYARGH! Don’t ignore me!”

Just as she registers the furious shriek, she’s suddenly pulled back by the collar of her robe. The action would have certainly made her lose her balance, and she would have toppled over her feet if not for the sturdy arm wrapping itself around her shoulder to brace her fall.

“Wha—” She manages to utter before her entire sight is consumed by a blaze of blue fire plummeting into the spot where she and Crowley had just been. 

“Holy fuck,” she breathes out, no longer hiding the tremble wracking from the very core of her soul to the hairs on her skin. 

Couldn’t Grim just fucking _chill?_

“Aptly put, puppy, but mind your language,” a deep and very familiar voice unexpectedly replies in an amused huff.

She recognizes it easily enough, having heard it so many times whenever she’d complete a battle in the test section of her game.

Almost robotically, she turns to look up at her savior and very nearly loses her mind at the sight of motherfucking Divus Crewel just behind her.

_Oh my god_ , she thinks, her mood _lifting_ at the very sight of the signature color of his methodically slicked hair.

Immediately, her gaze shoots over to his crimson-gloved hand.

His hand, which is on her shoulder.

She opens her mouth, intending to thank him, but only an incoherent squeak escapes her.

She immediately snaps her mouth shut, her face aflame, and she’s forced to witness Professor Crewel arch his elegant brows at her, an inquisitive look passing over his features.

_Oh my god,_ she thinks, wishing for a hole to just swallow her up here and there.

However, before Professor Crewel could so much as ask what she’d meant, they’re interrupted by a rather distinct voice.

“Get down from there!” Crowley demands from where he’s standing at a considerably safe distance as opposed to where they’d originally been. “I swear, if you break that, I’ll—!” His yell is cut off when another burst of blue flames nearly takes off his nose. “Why, you—!”

“Kekekeke,” Grim giggles into the fur of his paws, sounding positively _delighted_ at the chaos he’d caused. “Can’t touch me!” He taunts, going so far as to wiggle his forked-tail and butt at them.

Erika gaps at the incredulous sight.

_What the hell are you doing?!_ She exclaims in her mind. _I thought you wanted to be a student here?!_

She freezes, though, when Grim turns his surprisingly intense gaze on her.

“Unlike that weak human over there!” He sharply points in her direction, a scowl painting his features. “I’m _way_ more powerful than them! And _way_ more capable than them! That’s why—let me take their place as a student here!” He demands, the flames in his ears rising even higher with the strength of his emotions.

A wave of silence descends upon the room at his declaration.

And, despite how many fucking times he’s tried to kill her, she can’t help but _sympathize_ with the pyromaniacal hooligan.

_Grim_ , she thinks, her heart squeezing at seeing his resolution and desperation to get into this college. _You—_

The moment shatters, though, when someone snorts.

Shocked, she turns her gaze to the crowd to locate the source of it, which proves to be useless when, gradually, sounds of amusement emerge from the crowd at large.

It doesn’t take long for the room to be filled with mocking laughter and snorts.

“Is he serious?”

“As if that would ever happen!”

“A few loose screws in this one, heh.”

“Who does he think he is?”

Pieces of conversations float about in the air, all of which derisive and, whether intended or not, meant to pierce verbal arrows into the heart of its victim.

“Like a raccoon could ever get into Night Raven College,” scoffs somebody from nearby.

It is at that moment that something _snaps_ inside of her.

With the most _disgusting_ sensation of something thick and gooey boiling in her chest, she snaps her head to the person who knew _nothing_ about Grim yet had the guts to say something so painful, so striking, so _wrong_ about a character who she’s watched every step of the way struggle to find their footing.

“Excuse me,” she says in the sharpest voice she can muster, watching with narrowed eyes as the person in question turns his head to face her.

And, even though she’s met with the most viridian eyes she’s ever seen and recognizes the jagged scar running down one of them, she nonetheless opens her mouth.

The words are just on the tip of her tongue, curling around it with intent to _rebuke,_ when a large and shrill cry hushes the crowd.

She looks up just in time to see Grim, who has the scariest face she’s ever seen, hunch over himself as he leans precariously over the edge.

“You,” he starts, the slit pupil of his eye narrowing even further. “All of you.” 

A foreboding feeling settles deeply in her gut and, anxiously, she takes a step back and freezes when she bumps into Professor Crewel.

_Fuck_ , she thinks.

Timely, the fire in Grim’s ears shoot up, burning brighter than ever before to the point that its edges are tinged white, and his eye aglow with the same intensity.

He looks, to put it plainly, _pissed_.

“Nyargh! I’ll show you what I’m capable of!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise. Even in the face of tests. I stand strong and very disorganized in my priorities! I honestly have no idea how this chapter came to this point (it honestly should have been what the next chapter will be), but I can say that I’ve enjoyed writing this part teehee. 
> 
> Question: Would you or would you not tap Crewel? 🤔
> 
> Common Name: Wolverine


	14. Maratus volans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How charming,” Azul muses. “To have such moxie...Ne, Riddle, would you be so kind as to help me?”
> 
> Riddle huffs. “Obviously. Anyone who dares to break the rules will have their head rolling!”

At the precise moment she sees the beginnings of a blue inferno sparking from the edges of Grim’s mouth, she’s abruptly pulled back by the shoulder and, a blink later, she sees nothing but a fur-clothed back.

It’s only when Professor Crewel shouts out a warning of, “Get _back!_ ”, to the rest of the students that she realizes, belatedly, that he’d pushed her behind him.

For what reason, she learns soon enough in the form of a bursting ring of fire that spreads out with the intent to burn everything in its wake.

A movement from the corner of her eye catches her attention for a split second, and she immediately recognizes the red-collar keychain jangling from the butt of a wand held firmly in one of Professor Crewel’s crimson-gloved hands.

She watches in amazement as, with a flick of his wrist, Professor Crewel conjures a translucent barrier that’s large enough to successfully encase the blazing storm and consequently protecting the students from any harm.

“Wow…” She murmurs, her eyes glued to the flames raging on from within its cage, spitfires defiantly licking the surface of the barrier and roaring with Grim’s emotions. 

Eventually, as with all things, the fire dies down into little embers that unwittingly fleet into smoke.

With the danger gone for the meantime, the barrier shatters in a shower of glass shards that, when they hit the ground, vaporize into tiny blue sparkles.

Erika unashamedly gawks at the sight because _what the hell_.

_That was so cool!!!_ She mentally applauds, her respect and admiration for Professor Crewel practically skyrocketing at this point.

Her internal praising falters, though, when the most heartbreaking screech that she’s ever heard resounds through the air.

When she lifts her gaze, she easily spots the source of it in Crowley who’s staring with an horrified twist of his lips at the severe scorch marks that had been left on the floor and, when she tilts her head back, even on the _ceiling_.

_Daaaamn_ , she thinks, impressed and absolutely mortified. 

“You!” Crowley shouts, shaking his cane high up at a huffing Grim. “Just what do you think you’re doing, vandalizing school property?! How horrible of a monster can you be?!”

Grim snarls at the accusation, the infuriated expression on his face highlighted by the blue fire curling around his bared canines.

“Nyargh! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” He roars, sending a considerably weaker but strong enough flare of blue fire that forces the crowd as a whole to back away in order to avoid getting burned.

“Dire!” Professor Crewel snaps. “Control that magical creature before things get out of hand!”

Crowley furiously nods his head in agreement. “You’re right! The school might as well get burned down if it isn’t calmed down!” He exclaims, sounding extremely crossed; just as it appears as if the Headmaster will do something, he then proceeds to say, “Dorm Heads! Do something!” 

Erika cannot fucking believe this man.

“Dire Crowley!” Professor Trein snaps, sounding appalled. “You are the headmaster of this institution! It is your sacred duty to protect these students!” He rebukes, wearing the same affronted look as the cat has in his arms.

There’s a distinct and very much displeased twist to Crowley’s lips as he grimaces and turns his face away to avoid looking at the elder man.

As Professor Trein begins to scold Headmaster Crowley right then and there, the Dorm Heads vocalize their reactions to such an outrageous request.

“Ehh?!” Idia shrieks, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets to better express how _frightened_ he is at the very prospect of having to restrain a raging creature. “Why us?! We already have to guide our new students, so why do we have to become monster tamers too?! That’s not the class I signed up for!”

Kalim, in the face of Idia’s increasingly harried complaints, only laughs. “Shouldn’t you be able to handle this, Idia? Your hair is made of fire, so you don’t have to worry about it getting burnt off!”

Though it was obviously a joke, Idia still looks at the Scarabia Dorm Head with the most incredulous look.

“What about the rest of my body then?!” He nearly wails out.

A loud enough scoff from next to her interrupts the conversation between the two Dorm Heads. 

Though both Idia and Kalim turn to face the interloper, Erika firmly gazes to the front, knowing fully-well who had just spoken.

_And I nearly rebuked him_ , she internally sobs, grateful that she’d managed to dodge a bullet. 

The current source of her concerns breathes out a long and drawn-out sigh. 

“So _noisy_ ,” complains Leona as he rubs the back of his neck as if this whole situation was giving him a crick there.

“Hmmmm,” muses somebody else that, when she checks, is actually Vil, smirking widely and with a certain glint in his eyes. “And here I’d thought you’d be able to catch it easily enough, considering that lions _are_ supposed to be the king of beasts.”

“We are,” Leona huffs out. “But I hardly think kings are supposed to be doing the hunter’s job, so why should I bother catching somebody from the bottom of the food chain?”

Suddenly, an amused noise comes from the other side of the crowd, drawing the attention of not only hers but also from others.

“As expected from male lions,” starts Malleus, a small and wicked smile curling on his lips. “Too lazy enough to avoid their downfall. Or, maybe, that's just exclusive to you, Kingscholar?” He teasingly taunts, his eyelashes lowering to highlight the glow of his green eyes.

Erika, on the other hand, can’t help but mentally sound out her response.

_OOOOOOOOOOOHH!!!_ She can’t help cheering, because holy fuck, holy damn, holy whatever, was that just _amazing_. 

She has to purse her lips to conceal the large grin threatening to break out on her face, knowing that if ever it came out, Leona would be able to easily see it what with him just _there_.

Unlike her, though, the other Dorm Heads don’t even _try_ to hide their amusement.

As one, they all snort.

Leona, on the other hand, only narrows his gaze at Malleus and releases an irritated snarl.

The impending argument, however, is broken by another burst of fire that would have nearly taken off everybody’s heads were it not for someone intervening.

“Are any of you even listening?!” Crowley demands, swinging his cane this way and that in order to easily summon a gust of wind to ward off the flames. “We must do something before this school burns down!”

From where she’s standing, Erika hears a snort come from Professor Crewel as he mutters, “You could easily do that yourself.”

Fortunately for everybody, before the headmaster would have begun randomly choosing somebody to do the job, the Dorm Heads of Octavinelle and Heartslabyul step up to offer their services.

_Just like in canon_ , she thinks, relieved that she hadn’t changed _too_ much.

Crowly immediately brightens up. “Mr. Ashengrotto! Mr. Rosehearts! Truly, the pinnacle of Dorm Headship!” He heavily praises the two. “Now, if you could just capture that naughty raccoon, we can finally finish—!”

The Headmaster is once more cut off when Grim, who’d heard that little comment about him, spits out fire in his direction.

“I’m _not_ a raccoon!” He roars. “I am the Great Grim! And I’ll be the greatest magician this world has ever seen!”

_Oh no_ , she thinks, guessing the next turn of events as she watches Azul and RIddle step up to center stage. 

“How charming,” the Octavinelle Dorm Head muses. “To have such moxie...Ne, Riddle, would you be so kind as to help me?”

The Heartslabyul Dorm Head huffs. “Obviously. Anyone who dares to break the rules will have their head rolling!”

Azul smiles, as if delighted by the other’s response, but he and Riddle are forced to dodge when Grim fires off another burst of flames.

“As if you can!” Grim growls, fiercely glaring at the two of them.

It is at that instant, in this peculiar face-off between two humans and one, that a wave of static pierces through her mind and—

She blinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending of this chapter looked familiar, hm? (≖ᴗ≖✿)
> 
> I’d like to imagine in that part of the chapter where MC said wow, Crewel just smirked but it wasn’t seen because he had his back to her. (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> This chapter came later than I wanted it to but hmm, I also had things to do.
> 
> This whole Leona-burn is my salt for not getting his SSR Dorm Uniform when it was his pick-up summon.  
> Common Name: Peacock Spider


	15. Agaricus bisporus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hm. Hm. Hm-Hm. Hm-Hmmm-Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm-Hm.

As if triggered by some inexplicable force, a set of glowing green circles blink into existence around Grim, encircling him in some kind of distinct pattern with a rhythm that pulses strongly in her head.

Hoping that maybe, just _maybe_ , she’s imagining things, Erika closes her eyes.

She opens them and—yep. 

It’s still there.

Silently, her mouth falls open into an unashamed gawk.

_No fucking way_. She’d thought she’d hallucinated the rhythm mechanism a while ago, but, yet, _here it is!_

As if mocking her, a few of the glowing green circles blink out, a striking _thud_ sound ringing at the back of her to alert her that they’d been _missed_ , only for a few more to take its place.

“Nyaha! See how strong I am?!” Grim boasts with a large and wide grin, having managed to dodge all of the magical attacks sent his way. “If you keep doing that, you’ll bring down this chandelier with me!” He cackles.

Crowley stiffens at that. “Don’t you _dare_ , Ashengrotto! Rosehearts!” He warns.

The two aforementioned Dorm Heads don’t look too pleased with that idea, but they nonetheless give a firm nod.

“It’d be easier if Azul would stop playing around,” scoffs Riddle.

Azul’s smile hardly twitches. “But aren’t you enjoying this little game as well, Riddle?” 

Before Riddle could even respond to that, a blazing ball of fire shoots towards them and they’re forced to skip back and focus on the problem at hand.

As she watches the two Dorm Heads struggle with the rambunctious monster, Erika purses her lips as she ponders over her current predicament.

_If I’m right_ , she tentatively thinks, her gaze straying to where those green circles are at. _Those things are the key to stopping this._

The question is, though, how will she be able to reach those circles when they’re all the way up there?

_You can’t honestly expect me to climb up_ , she thinks, exasperated. _I’m not a fucking spider._

Helplessly, she watches as the circles go _miss, miss, miss_ , their failed sounds resounding in her head like the worst soundtrack she’s ever heard.

_Thum._

She tenses, noticing how that one particular circle _hadn’t_ gone _thud_ as the rest of the missed circles did, and she begins to piece in what had changed this time.

She observes, with a sharper eye this time, to confirm her theory.

_There!_ Her back immediately straightens as a bolt of electricity shoots up her spine.

_Although it was a bit off its mark,_ she thinks. _One of Riddle’s spells had_ definitely _hit one of the circles at the correct timing._

And the results of which are evident, because Riddle’s spell had managed to graze Grim on the shoulder if the way he almost topples over the chandelier from the force of it is anything to go by.

She watches for a few more moments, remembering that there was a certain rhythm to this just like the game had, and tries to figure out the pattern.

_Hm. Hm. Hm-Hm. Hm-Hmmm-Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm-Hm._

_I got it_ , she thinks with relief, her humming _finally_ syncing up to the beats in her head.

Only problem is, how will she be able to tell Azul and RIddle about this before the entire room gets burned down?

She looks up at the back of Professor Crewel’s head, considering, before she swallows down that idea.

_No way_ , she thinks. It’d be weird if she’d told Professor Crewel to tell one of the Dorm Heads to fire a spell at _this_ specific point, because then he might have questions, wouldn’t he? Not to mention that he might tell her to tell them herself...

_Hahahaha_ , she internally laughs. _As if I’d have the guts to yell out to them_.

That’d be practically painting a huge red target on her.

An idea sort of _dings_ in her head at that, and she realizes that she’d only have to _ask_ another student to do it for her.

Like, say, a student from one of their Dorms.

_The higher the position, the better_ , she thinks with resolution. Because, surely, Azul and Riddle would at _least_ listen to their respective Vice-Dorm Heads than some first-year who couldn’t even be sorted properly.

In this sort of crowd, it’d be nigh impossible to look for Trey Clover in this sea of hooded people; however—

She looks around, trying to spot the tallest pair of people in this room because, surely, where one is, the other would usually be there.

_Aha!_ She triumphantly cheers in her mind, finally spotting her intended targets.

Discreetly, she slips from Crewel’s side and makes her way through the crowd of people, easily getting by with everybody else too preoccupied with the unplanned showdown.

The minute she’s just a couple of feet further from her capture targets, she freezes, though, when a familiar voice enters her ears.

“Ne~ Why does Azul get to have all the fun~?” One whines in complaint, clearly unhappy with the situation.

“It can’t be helped. We have to set a good example to the first-years, especially in this kind of situation,” the other half of the pair responds in a soothing tone. “Azul is merely taking advantage of it to, ah, better gain the trust of our new _dormmates_.”

Even with their hoods shadowing their faces, Erika, from where she’s standing, can very well see the amused grins stretching wide across the Leech twins’ faces.

_Maybe...this was a bad idea_ , she thinks as a shudder wracks through her core. She internally rebukes herself for being so foolish as to forget how _dangerous_ these two are, especially when all of this is supposed to be real.

Just as she is about to backtrack and commit to a lengthy search of one Trey Clover, she’s suddenly spotted by one of the twins.

_Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck!_ She shrieks in her mind, pinned to the ground by a piercing gold and olive heterochromatic gaze.

“Hey, Jade. That one’s looking right at us,” Floyd tells his brother, the smile on his face immediately turning into a displeased frown that reveals _all_ of his uncannily sharp teeth.

Following his brother’s gaze, Jade turns his own olive and gold heterochromatic gaze on her.

They haven’t even laid a single hand on her; yet, she already feels like she’s being suffocated by their stares alone.

“What’s your problem?” Floyd says, the question obviously meant for _her_ if the way he narrows his eyes at her is anything to go by. “Are you looking for a fight?”

There’s a prominent glint in his eyes, and she can practically see her doom reflected in them.

It’s obvious that she hadn’t caught him in one of his more playful moods.

Instead, she’d caught Floyd in a particularly _bad_ mood.

Immediately, she goes for an apology before she loses any more of her limbs. 

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to stare,” she says with as much regret as she can muster. “If you’ll excuse me…” She tentatively takes a step back.

“Wait.”

_Dammit_ , she thinks, internally chewing on her nails because she was so _close!_

“You’re the one that the Dark Mirror couldn’t sort,” Jade continues, his brows raised high above his eyes as he finally notices her. 

Her stomach drops as Floyd suddenly perks up, his eyes turning to her.

“Ehhh? So you were the one who couldn’t be sorted?” He asks with a tilt of his head.

With fear accompanying every beat of her heart, she shakily nods.

“Huh. Didn’t know that the Dark Mirror could do that,” Floyd mutters.

Jade, on the other hand, chuckles. “It shouldn’t, Floyd. The Dark Mirror is practically omniscient. No magic should be able to shield against its vision.” 

Erika feels very much like a cornered rat when he suddenly narrows his gaze at her.

“Unless, of course, that somebody is hiding something important enough that they don’t want anybody or anything to find out,” he drawls.

As the two continue to peer at her, she feels some cold sweat drip down the back of her neck.

“That’s not true,” she denies softly, even as the phone tucked into her underwear is practically burning a mark into her soul. “I’m not hiding anything.”

However, just as she presumes they’re about to heavily interrogate her, a scream from Crowley reverberates through the room. 

“Get down from there! You’re going to break it! You’ve already burned so many curtains, so what more do you want?!” Crowley crows in indignation.

Just to affirm his words, Erika checks and yep. Grim really _had_ scorched a few expensive-looking curtains.

Curiously, she moves her gaze to the two magicians-in-training who had volunteered to take care of Grim.

Her stomach churns when sees how ticked off the two are starting to look, with Riddle slowly going red in the face and Azul no longer wearing that charming smile on his lips.

Fearing that they might _accidentally_ vanquish Grim in their irritation, she swallows her trepidation and turns back to Jade.

“Excuse me, um,” she spectacularly fumbles, only realizing then that she couldn’t quite call Jade by his name since she _shouldn’t even know it_ , but also that she couldn’t just call him _sir_ because what the fuck, no, that would sound horrible.

Fortunately(?) for her, though, she gets their attention and her heart may as well have shriveled up underneath their intense stares.

_What did I do wrong to deserve this_ , is what she wants to sob out.

“Can you, uhm, tell the Octavinelle Dorm Head to aim his magic at 2 o’clock? I mean, _your_ 2 o’clock, not his, wait—” She turns back, waiting for the rhythm to return to the start, and calculates the angle from Azul’s current position. “ _His_ 11 o’clock. You can tell him that!” She squeaks out, hoping that they’d get her explanation.

Jade and Floyd blink in unison, having not expected her to say that of all things.

Not wanting to deal with them or with any of their questions, she quickly inclines her head and mumbles out a brief, “ _T_ _hank you!”_ , before she slips back into the crowd and returns to Professor Crewel’s side, staying as close as possible so that, if ever any of the Leech twins chase after her, she could find a reason to get a firm handle on Professor Crewel’s furry coat and get his attention.

A few moments tick by where nothing happens and, just as she thinks all of her efforts had been in vain, she suddenly hears a shout ring out through the room.

“Hey, Azul~ Try your 11 o’clock!” Floyd suddenly yells out from amidst the crowd.

In response to the untimely suggestion, Azul halts the spell that he’d been about to cast, his gaze fleeting to Floyd in question.

Erika has no idea if Azul is irked by the untimely distraction, but she _does_ see his frown deepen.

The severe expression on his face lightens somewhat at the next moment. He briefly glances up at Grim, who’s busy fending himself off against Riddle’s continuous attacks, then he looks back at where Jade and Floyd are with a cocked brow.

Whatever response he receives must assure him because he raises his arm and, as instructed, aims at his 11 o’clock.

Erika sees the very second his spell hits its mark, a beautiful burst of sound resounding in her mind as Grim gets splashed in the face with a solid water spell that easily knocks him off of the chandelier and sends him tumbling down to the ground.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Riddle aims his own magical pen at Grim and shouts out the name of his Unique Magic,

**_“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”_ **

A burst of powerful magic emerges from his magical pen, shooting out to wrap around Grim’s neck that, with another burst of magic, transforms into a heart-shaped collar.

“Nyaow!” Grim yelps as he hits the floor with his butt first. “That _hurts!_ Couldn’t you be gentler with me?!” He complains, fiercely glaring up at the two Dorm Heads. “You—”

Grim suddenly pauses. Slowly, he tilts his head down to look at the heavy collar around his neck and, when he opens his mouth, nothing comes out of it.

Shocked, Grim looks up. 

“That’s my Unique Magic at work,” Riddle explains, glaring down at Grim. “So long as you’re wearing that collar around your neck, your magic will continue to be sealed until I say otherwise.”

As if to test Riddle’s words, Grim looks down at the collar and coughs out, clearly trying to summon his flames.

When he realizes that he truly can’t use his magic, Grim looks back up at the people who he’d attacked and who had detained him in turn.

Erika can understand wholeheartedly why he suddenly looks so petrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I’ve written for this story, so belated apology hahaha. But I really, really, wanted to bring out these two characters in this chapter so,,,(ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> Fun fact about this chapter, I actually played that rhythm game several times just to get the beat HAHAHAHA, and this is why it took a while to upload this chapter HAHA.
> 
> Oh yeah! You guys interested in reading another OC that sees the rhythm game too? Check out aulilyu on tumblr!! She made a comic about it before ehe~
> 
> Common Name: White-button mushroom


	16. Lactuca sativa L.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Imagine your home clearly in your mind. It’ll help,” he advises, looking at her expectantly.
> 
> Hesitantly, she does as she’s told and closes her eyes, trying to conjure an image of her home in her mind.
> 
> A house just big enough for her and her family. Her room that she had yet to fully declutter. That little garden she’d left in the black thumbs of her family.
> 
> I want to go home, she thinks, a million emotions swelling her heart until it’s fit enough to burst.

Considerately, Crowley plucks Grim off of the ground by the scruff of his neck, since picking him up by the collar might choke him.

When he brings the magical creature up close to his face, a smile unfurls upon his lips.

It is, Erika notes, not a _kind_ one.

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble, haven’t you?” Crowley muses in a dangerously low voice. “How many valuable items have you destroyed, I wonder, with that little tantrum of yours?”

Grim practically shrinks into himself when Crowley’s eye lights contract into little gold dots. His distress is further emphasized by the way his ears have been pressed close to his head whilst his pitchforked-tail has swung high in between his legs to rest against his chest.

Erika is familiar enough with animal behavior to know that he’s frightened, and a part of her feels bad for him, but, then again, he _did_ nearly destroy a room and nearly burn dozens of students were it not for the staff protecting them.

As if pleased with Grim’s response, Crowley then turns to face the rest of the students.

“I apologize for the delay, everybody, but I can finally bring this exhilarating entrance ceremony to a close,” he announces to the room at large. Then, his gaze falls specifically on her and he proffers, “If you would come with me, I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out about your current predicament.”

Although all eyes turn to her as if reminded by her failed sorting, she pretends that none of it matters.

_A way home…_ Is what she mostly focuses on, a small spark of hope lighting in her chest despite her being all too aware of how unlikely that would be.

Nonetheless, she reluctantly leaves Professor Crewel’s side and scurries over to Crowley. 

She takes her place by his side, the one further from Grim, and waits for any more instructions from him.

After a passing glance at her, Crowley turns his attention to the crowd.

“Dorm Heads,” he addresses first. “If you and your Vice-Dorm Heads could show the new students back to the dormitories, that would be most kind,” he directs in the form of a suggestion. “And can you oversee them for the meantime, professors? I can handle our technical issue on my own.”

All of the Dorm Heads affirmatively respond in their own ways, each and every one of them looking eager to go back to their own dorms. The professors, on the other hand, only nod as they usher the students to go.

Although it takes a while for the students to file out of the room, they eventually leave in favor of a celebration back at their respective dormitories.

All throughout, Erika makes very, _very_ sure to not meet anybody’s eyes, keeping her gaze firmly at the elaborate arc of the doorway.

_I’ve had too many fucking encounters in one goddamn day_ , she thinks, already counting how many lives she has left and sobbing at the little number.

When the main doors to the Mirror Chamber close with a loud _thud_ , they’re the only ones left.

Crowley turns to her with a beaming smile and a frightened Grim still shackled in his hand.

“Well then, Erika. I’m terribly sorry about this but...we must have you leave this school,” are the first words out of his mouth.

Despite that, she nods. “I understand.” 

She wasn’t meant to be here, anyways. Here, in a magical school where most of the classes required the students to have magic. Here, in a game that was supposed to be just that.

She belongs back home. Back with her family, her friends—back in her world where everything was so painfully normal but so, so comfortably hers.

“But...how will you send me home?” She asks with a tilt of her head, vague about this part.

“There is no need to worry about that,” Crowley reassures her. “The Dark Mirror can send you back from where you came from!”

Erika falters at that, remembering what had happened in the game.

“Uhm, Headmaster—”

She’s interrupted, though, when the Headmaster eagerly guides her before the Dark Mirror and pats her on the shoulder twice.

“Imagine your home clearly in your mind. It’ll help,” he advises, looking at her expectantly.

Hesitantly, she does as she’s told and closes her eyes, trying to conjure an image of her home in her mind.

A house just big enough for her and her family. Her room that she had yet to fully declutter. That little garden she’d left in the black thumbs of her family.

_I want to go home_ , she thinks, a million emotions swelling her heart until it’s fit enough to burst.

“Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place that which they belong to!” Crowley requests.

He goes unanswered, and she feels her hopes dwindle by every silent second.

“Oh.” The headmaster sounds a bit perplexed. “Once more, then. Dark Mirror! Please—”

**_“It is nowhere…”_ **

Erika’s heart promptly bursts at that, disappointment a tattoo on her lungs as she’s forced to exhale her happiness, her anticipation, her _yearning_.

“Eh?” Crowley sounds unabashedly surprised this time.

**_“The place they belong to...is nowhere in this world.”_ **The Dark Mirror isn’t holding any barbs in its bluntness.

“What are you talking about? That is impossible!” Crowley then looks at his nail guards. “This has never happened since I began my time as the Headmaster of this school, so what should I—” He pauses, his eye lights dilating as if coming to a realization. He suddenly turns to her. “You. Where exactly do you come from?”

Erika smiles helplessly, already knowing the response she’d garner from him.

Yet, when he insists once more, she all too willingly gives out the name of her hometown. At the blank look she receives, she goes so far as to tell him the name of her country.

Nothing.

Crowley, as expected, doesn’t seem to recognize it.

“I’ve never heard of that place…” Crowley mumbles as he grasps his chin in between his fingers. “And I generally have a grasp of where all the students come from but...I’ve never heard of such a place before.”

Erika sighs a bit at that. “It’s because I don’t belong in this world, sir,” she explains.

Crowly cocks a brow at her, his eye lights considerably brighter than before. “What do you mean by that?”

“The world I came from...doesn’t have magic,” she elaborates. “We didn’t have wands to make magic with, or magic mirrors to, I guess, travel through. And all of the human beings there are as ordinary as the people without magic here.”

_And the furries and hornies_ , she mentally adds. _We_ definitely _didn’t have any of those_ _in my world, except for the characters…_

She promptly packs that up and shoves it to the back of her mind, deciding to deal with that clusterfuck some other day.

Crowley purses his lips. “That’s...preposterous. Forgive me, but that kind of theory is something I cannot accept. Do you have anything to prove your words?” He asks her.

She does. She has her phone, but…

She doesn’t quite trust Crowley.

_I remember all those theories about him_ , she thinks, trying to keep a straight face on the outside as her internal mind is no better than a hot mess. _About him maybe being the cause of all those Overblots in the game and…_ Her heart falls. _I don’t even know what happens after the Scarabia Arc. Only the limited events. But that’s it. The game hasn’t yet updated the story back in my world…_

Realization hits her then.

Although she’d been able to use the application so far as tested in the bathroom, what if her version of the app doesn’t get updated whilst she’s in Twisted Wonderland?

_I’ll be fucked then_ , she thinks as her stomach churns at the very thought of that—of going in unprepared in this crazy world.

A sudden weight on her head snaps her out of her frantic thoughts and, when she looks up, she instantly meets Crowley’s eye lights that have been trained on her for who knows how long

“You’ll be fine,” he tells her in a soothing voice, gently caressing her hooded head. “We’ll find a way to get you back.”

She feels...oddly comforted by his words.

She still isn’t going to show him her phone, though.

_Gotta be cautious_ , she thinks. _Who knows what his agenda could be. Who knows what_ anyone’s _agenda could be._

“Come.” Crowley brings his hand down from her head so that he can offer it to her. “If we do not know that which we seek, then we must consult the library about it!”

She nods, remembering this happening in the plot.

“Ah,” Crowley mutters, remembering the surprisingly quiet creature in his hand. “But I believe we should get rid of this first.”

Both Grim and Erika jolt at that, the former looking horrified and the latter surprised.

Grim begins struggling anew at the prospect of being ‘dealt with’.

“No!” Grim protests. “I don’t want to go away! I want to be a student here!” 

Crowly clicks his tongue. “As _if_. You’ve caused enough trouble in a day that the average student here wouldn’t dare to dream about.”

“No, no, no!” Grim continues to shout. “Don’t send me out! Not when it’s going to rain!”

Crowly scoffs, peering out at one of the large windows in the room. “There’s hardly a grey cloud in sight.”

Grim squawks indignantly, “Of course there isn’t! It’s nya-ight! So how’d it be obvious?!”

Crowley merely huffs in response, unfazed by Grim’s panicking. “You’re just looking for an excuse to escape,” he tuts.

As the two continue to bicker, Erika can’t help but look outside herself.

Although it didn’t seem like it would rain anytime soon, Grim _did_ have a point. It is nighttime, so how would they know what the real weather will be like in a while?

_Also_ , she thinks with a quiet hum underneath her breath. _If I remember right, it’ll rain later. ‘Cause that’s why Grim sought shelter in Ramshackle Dorm in the game in the first place._

Not wanting to be a part of willingly putting an animal, despite its violence and unnatural intelligence, out in the open rain, she intervenes.

“Can’t we just bring him along? At least for now?” She suggests, trying to sound as pitiful as she can. 

Both turn to look at her in surprise.

“Human…” Grim says, looking at her with wide and glassy blue eyes.

“Are you serious?” Crowley asks in a near deadpan. “It just tried to burn the entire room a while ago, need I remind you.”

Even as she feels intimidated by the displeased note in his tone, she nonetheless nods her head.

“It wouldn’t feel right to shove somebody out in the rain…” She trails off, gazing away to better the act.

It’s _technically_ a lie. She’d be okay with pushing a person out in the rain, especially if they irked her, but an animal?

What was she, fucking heartless?

After a few moments of contemplation, Crowly sighs heavily in defeat and—

She nearly curses, narrowly managing to catch Grim in her arms after Crowly had just _tossed_ him to her like some kind of ragdoll.

“Since you _insist_ ,” Crowley sniffs. “He’ll be your responsibility for the meantime, so you’ll be in charge of carrying him and watching over him.”

Erika has no complaints, enjoying the way her fingers sink into Grim's soft and very much velvet-feeling fur.

Grim, however, has no such inclinations and loudly grouches, “Did you just _throw_ me?!”

Crowley barely pays him any heed as he unclips his cane from his belt.

“Now!” The Headmaster begins with another impressive twirl of his cane. “To the library!” 

Erika perks up at that, excitement fluttering her chest because—

She halts, though, at the familiar and very unwelcomed feeling creeping up at the back of her throat.

_Fuck,_ she thinks.

Seems like it’s not _just_ excitement fluttering in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter for today~ ヽ(゜～゜o)ノ But finally, the LIBRARY!! I absolutely love that place even if we don’t have the option to go there huhu. It looks so coooool.  
> Common Name: Romaine Lettuce


	17. Taraxacum officinale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wow.” she breathes out as she takes in the sight, the oh so very beautiful sight, of the library that she’d only seen in the game in the form of a still scene.
> 
> In contrast to the gloomy hallways and the mystical atmosphere of the Hall of Mirrors, the library is full of light and activity, a variety of books flying around with either the means of flapping their pages or wings.
> 
> “This is amazing,” she murmurs as she slowly walks in. 

The toilet bowl is starting to become a very familiar sight.

She admires the pristineness of the porcelain bowl for as long as she can, vaguely wondering if the toilet seat she’s pressing her cheeks against is truly clean.

As much as she wants to stay there forever, the disgusting taste in her mouth is starting to make her stomach churn once more.

“ _Eeeeewww,_ ” Grim, to put it plainly, draws out in the most annoying voice ever, sounding, and most likely looking, disgusted by her actions.

She turns her head to weakly glare at him.

_I should have let Crowley toss you into the rain_ , she thinks with a bitter vengeance. _Why did I ever feel bad about you?_

She takes her time to recompose herself, waiting for the stinging in her throat to recede and for her churning guts to settle into a smooth ocean. 

“...Are you done?” Grim asks her, slowly creeping into the stall to check on her. 

Just to spite him, she makes sure to pat him on the head with the hand she’d used to wipe her mouth.

The screech she receives from Grim is only half-worth it, since his unimaginable pitch of outrage makes her head ring.

“You stupid human!” Grim roars as she passes by him in order to get to the sink. “Don’t you know it’s rude to put your dirty hands on anybody?!” 

As she washes her hands and her face, Erika can’t quite find it in herself to give a single fuck, especially after getting her insides turned inversely.

“I have a name, you know,” is what she eventually settles on when an awkward silence pervades the room. “It’s Erika.”

From his reflection in the bathroom mirror, she can very well see his reaction.

Grim blinks, the flames in his ears warping in tandem to his flickering ears. “...Okay?” He says, not quite sure what to do with that piece of information.

She sighs. “I’d appreciate it if you’d use it, instead of calling me human,” she elaborates. “Wouldn’t you like it if somebody called you Grim instead of, I don’t know, raccoon?”

Expectedly, Grim furiously springs anew at her words. “Nya! Who you calling a raccoon?!”

As Grim blows up in the background, she takes the time to look at herself in the mirror and sighs once again at her bedraggled appearance.

Still, she can’t help but wonder…

_Why did I feel so nauseous all of a sudden?_

She understands very well why she vomited the first time around—bearing a meshwork of fatigue, anxiety, and fear for having awoken in this sordid reality and forced to flee from a monster determined to burn off her heels.

_But I didn’t feel that bad during the Entrance Ceremony_ , she thinks, rewinding through the events. Sure, she’d interacted with a few characters that she really shouldn’t have and will most definitely _not_ in the future, but it hadn’t been as stomach-twisting.

Deciding to deal with that on another day, she shakes her hands dry and moves to pick up a still fuming Grim who reluctantly allows himself to be picked up.

“Oof,” she breathes out. “Just what do you eat?” She demands because she hadn’t expected Grim to be as heavy as a Golden Retriever puppy when he looked to be as light as a slightly chubby kitty.

“Nyargh!” Grim yowls. “Are you calling me fat?!” He demands.

Erika is momentarily preoccupied with opening the door but once they’re out, she replies, “I’m calling you _heavy_. There’s a difference.”

She looks around the corridor, struggling to remember the verbal directions that Crowley had left to her before he’d dropped her and Grim off at the bathroom so that he could go ahead first.

_If I remember right…_ She looks to the left. _The Library should be at the right end of this hallway._

“It’s not me!” Grim huffs as she begins walking down her chosen path. “It’s this dumb collar! I can’t even walk properly with this stupid thing on,” he growls, his pitchforked-tail swatting harmlessly against her thigh.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have caused all that trouble,” she reminds, taking her time to admire the view of the inner courtyard outside. 

Before she knows it, she’s standing before a pair double brass doors that tower over her in an intimidating manner.

It also doesn’t help that there’s a large and gold-encrusted crow’s head in the very top center, its detailed eyes seeming to glare down at her.

_What the fuck_ , she thinks, because that is just borderline _creepy_.

“So ugly,” comments Grim, not even trying to hide his opinion on it.

“...Yeah,” she agrees, quickly moving to open the door so as to avoid its eerie gaze.

The minute she steps into the library, her breath is immediately knocked out of her lungs because—

“Wow.” she breathes out as she takes in the sight, the oh so very _beautiful_ sight, of the library that she’d only seen in the game in the form of a still scene.

In contrast to the gloomy hallways and the mystical atmosphere of the Mirror of Chamber, the library is full of light and activity, a variety of books flying around with either the means of flapping their pages or _wings_.

“This is amazing,” she murmurs as she slowly walks in. 

Even Grim has to agree with her, for he exclaims in wonder, “Wah—! What kind of animals are those?!” His eyes are carefully trained on one of the books whose wings give off a light rain of sparkle. 

Erika hums. “I don’t think they’re animals...Just books that can fly,” she answers.

When Grim begins to wriggle in her arms, she settles him on the floor and watches as he, with a bit of effort, toddle after the book, looking more interested in chasing after it than actually catching it.

Seeing that he’s busy, Erika turns to look for Crowley and easily spots him hovering by a table filled with a few dozen books that have been piled into relatively short towers.

Crowley looks up when she nears him, and she knows that he has no good news for her when his lips are pursed so.

“The place you speak of doesn’t appear in any world map,” is the first thing that he says to her. He looks down at one of the open books on the table, his nail guards consecutively drumming atop the wooden table and creating a short beat. “There’s not even a mention of it in any of the history books I know of...Are you truly from where you say you’re from?”

She nods, coming to stand beside him in order to peer at this selection. “I’d never forget where I grew up.”

“Well,” Crowley sighs. “Do you at least have anything on you? Any kind of identification for me?” 

She shakes her head. At the crestfallen aura that pervades Crowley, she hesitantly asks, “What will happen to me now?”

There’s a deep frown painting the Headmaster’s lips. “That is something I can’t quite decide on as of yet,” he admits. “I can’t just let a magic-less stay at my school, much less enroll into it, without a viable academic reason...however,” he pauses, peering intensely at her.

Even though she knows what’s going to happen next, she keeps her features carefully fixed in order to give out nothing.

“I can’t just toss you out in the streets when you have nothing on you. I’m still the headmaster of this college, and I wouldn’t be setting a good example before the students if I did that, now, would I?” He sounds very impressed with where he’s about to go. 

Then, for the first time since she’s come here, Crowley places a hand on his chest, the tips of his nail guards just barely grazing the fabric, and crows, “For I am so gracious, aren’t I?”

Erika tries not to laugh at that. Regardless of the setting, Crowley truly looks silly like that.

Still, she smiles and politely thanks him.

Crowley pats her twice on the head. “We have an unused building within the campus that I can allow you to stay in for the time being!” He cheerfully offers.

Erika internally sighs. _As if I have a choice, right?_

Ramshackle Dorm was the only place she could seek shelter at, especially so early in the plotline.

She perks up, though, when she remembers something crucial.

“What about the matter of me going home?” She asks, turning her attention back to the pile of books on the table.

Crowley’s eye lights blink at her. “What about it?” He asks and, at her blank look, he laughs as if realizing something, “Oh! Of course, I’ll be looking for a way to return you home in the meantime.”

Remembering how he _still_ hasn’t found a way to get home for the original protagonist in the game even as a number of Overblot incidents passed and how had the guts to go on a _vacation_ , she decides that, maybe, she shouldn’t solely depend on this man.

“Can I help?” She requests. “I mean, it’s my problem too, right? So I’d like to help...if that’s alright with you,” she politely adds soon after.

Crowley tilts his head at her. “And what do you propose we can do?”

Erika moves her gaze to where she’d caught Grim struggling to climb up on a chair with the heavy weight on his neck. “I can’t do much when it comes to magic but…” She trails off. “I can help with research. I’ve had my fair share of experience there.”

And she isn’t lying here. She _did_ have some experience in looking for sources for the review of related literature portion for some of her papers before; as much as she’d loathed it, she’d been good at that, and it’s better than doing nothing, yeah?

Crowley hums in contemplation, mulling over it for a few long and nerve-wracking minutes. “Fine,” he eventually acquiesces. “I’ll allow you limited access to the library, but we’ll have to work out the details of that some other time since there are precious tomes here,” he cautions.

Erika nods, eager to have a chance to her home quicker.

“Well, since we’re done here.” Crowley taps his cane twice on the ground and, before her very eyes, a soft glow illuminates the books on the table aa they gradually levitate in the air. “Let’s head to your temporary home for now. It may be a bit old, but you’ll find yourself liking it a lot!” He beams, sounding so very confident of his words.

As Erika follows the direction at which those levitating books go off to, she knows very well what a fucking _liar_ Crowley is.

She does, after all, play this game.

_You’re going to make me live in a house of shit_ , she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will feature our beloved garbage home and the g-g-g-hosts that live there!!! ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ
> 
> Common Name: Common Dandelion


	18. Rubus fruticosus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, her grip on his head tightens, her fingers digging into the fur and skin there.
> 
> Grim tenses up, his brows scrunching together atop his wide eyes in confusion.
> 
> “I nearly forgot, but,” she says softly, looking down at him with cold eyes. “Didn’t you almost try to kill me a while ago?” She asks with a tilt of her head.
> 
> Grim flinches at the reminder.
> 
> She smiles at him.

As much as she tries to focus on the soft and pretty glow of the gate lamp, she can’t deny it any further.

Ramshackle Dorm looks like _shit_.

Grim, who’d been jittering with _excitement_ and muttering about what kind of _mansion_ would they live in throughout their trek, looks as if he’d seen a carcass.

“Now, now,” Crowley tuts them as he, with a great deal of effort, pushes open the gate that goes _creeeaaaak_ in protest. “It really isn’t as bad as it looks!” He assures them, shaking the ring of keys in his hand to brighten up the gloomy atmosphere.

“U-huh,” says Erika, even as her mind goes, _Bull-fucking-shit_.

Nevertheless, with Grim in her arms, she scampers after him to the front porch and watches as he fumbles with finding the correct key to open the front door.

“Hey, hey,” Grim whispers to her, and she looks down in question. “This place looks like a dump,” he tells her, acting as if it was even a _secret_ to begin with.

Playing along, she murmurs, “It is.”

“It is _not!_ ” Crowley objects, but a sound of triumph squeezes its way out of his throat when he finally finds the appropriate key. “Here we go,” he mutters as he inserts it into the keyhole and, with a worrying round of manhandling the stubborn lock, manages to unlock the door.

With another loud and concerning _creaaaak_ , the front door swings open at Crowley’s push.

“After you.” Crowley gestures to the eerily dark hallway, a picture-perfect smile on his lips. 

Warily, she tries to peer into the hallway but, with as plunged as it is in the shadows, she can hardly see a thing. 

She tentatively steps in and freezes when the floorboards underneath feet groan. When nothing happens, she forces herself to trudge further into this darkness.

A few paces in, she’s suddenly hit with a distinct musty smell that compels her to cover her nose.

Grim, however, is not so fortunate and begins coughing at the horrid stench. “Nyak! Ack! What is that smell?!”

“Molds, most likely,” she answers, her voice coming out muffled because of her hand. 

“Hey! It’s not that bad,” huffs Crowley from somewhere behind.

She flinches at the sudden clamping of his hands on her shoulder, but she hardly has any time to shrug off his touch when he abruptly begins guiding her forward, pushing her to walk faster.

Eventually, they arrive at what appears to be the living room.

_What a waste_ , she couldn't help but think as she takes in the peeling walls with its crooked paintings, the dust-covered floor that’s littered with glass shards and upturned furniture, and even the cobwebs that spread high up on the ceiling and over the entrance of what appears to be a fireplace.

“Did somebody die here?” She wonders, meaning for it to be a joke, and gets a swat to the thigh from Grim’s tail when he jolts to alarm.

Crowley, however, instantly makes a sound of indignation. “Of course not!” He fervently denies.

At his surprisingly quick answer, she turns her gaze to him and raises her brows, questioning.

Crowley steadily avoids her gaze.

“At least you’ll have a place to sleep in,” adds Crowley, instead trying to make them see the brighter to this dreary place. “I’ll be heading back to the school to do some more research, so you two just make yourselves comfortable!” 

As she watches him turn on his heel, she’s suddenly hit with realization.

“Ah! Uhm, sir!” She calls out to him and blesses the deities when Crowley halts in his tracks and faces her once more. Shyly, she asks, “Will it be alright if, um, you could bring back some cleaning supplies? But only when you come back! And, ah, a change of clothes too, if that’s okay?” She fumbles over her words.

Crowley’s eye lights blink at her.

In case he didn’t get it, she tries to explain, “I can’t just keep wearing these.” She gestures to her very ornate ceremony robes. “And I doubt a house this...abandoned will have any cleaning supplies for me to use…” She trails off, wondering if maybe she was pushing it too far.

_But I can’t just wear this every day_. _How will I even wash these?_ She reasons with herself. _Oh yeah...Do I have to pay for this?_

Nervously, she looks down at the burnt hole on the sleeve of her robe.

Crowley appears to be mulling over it. “Alright,” he eventually agrees. “However, I must ask that neither your nor your charge wander about before we talk things through,” he cautions. 

Erika readily agrees at that. _As if I want to walk around at night_ , she internally sighs.

“And you.” Here, Crowley’s eye lights focus on Grim. “If you burn this house down, I’ll make sure that you’ll never lay a foot within the campus ever again,” he informs.

Once more, Grim’s pitchforked tail swats her in the thigh. “As if this house won’t collapse from a gust of wind…” He mutters with a roll of his eyes. “But fine! I’ll _try_ not to burn it,” he huffs.

Crowley sighs, “Well, I’ll have to take your word for it, then.” He nears them in order to tap Grim on the nose. “You be good now, okay?” 

Grim hisses and swats the offending finger.

Crowley pulls back just in time. “And you stay put here,” is all he tells her before he turns with a flap of his overcoat that would have certainly hit her in the face if she hadn’t stepped back in time.

At the sound of the front door slamming shut, a brief popping sound reverberates through the air.

As one, both she and Grim look down at the source of it.

“Oh,” she murmurs, seeing that the collar magic had worn off, or maybe Riddle had just remembered to cancel his Unique Magic. 

Tentatively, Grim touches his neck.

As if just registering his newfound freedom, Grim begins to wriggle free from her grasp. He successfully lands on the ground on all fours, the widest and most manic grin she’s ever seen on his face.

“I’M FREEEEEE!” Grim cheers as he begins running around the room in glee, and in turn kicking up a large cloud of dust that flares out.

At the same time, both she and Grim cough out loudly at that when their noses get clogged with it.

“Ugh!” Hacks out Grim. “This place is a mess!”

Erika snorts. “A shithole, more like,” she supplies with, looking overhead at what once would have been a gorgeous chandelier.

A silence falls over them for quite some time, broken only when it begins to rain outside, the droplets going _pitter-patter_ on the roof. 

“Ne,” Grim speaks up, making her jolt at the unexpectedness of it. “Back in that mirror room. Was what you said true?”

She mulls over his question. _Back in the mirror room…?_

“You mean about me not coming from this world?” She asks for clarification.

Grim frowns. “No, idiot! The one about you not having any magic!” 

In spite of the aggressiveness in his response, Erika can’t help but wonder where he’s going with this.

“It’s true,” she eventually answers. “From where I come from, nobody had magic there,” she elaborates.

However, instead of being satisfied with her answers, Grim only frowns even deeper.

“And yet the Dark Carriage came for you?” He sounds perplexed, perhaps irritated.

She shakes her head. “I...can’t remember. The last thing I remember was going to sleep…” She murmurs. If a carriage had gotten her, surely she’d have woken up from its rattling instead of from her phone’s alarm…

In a bid to change the subject, she asks, “But what about you? Why do you even want to get into this school so badly?”

Grim immediately perks up at that.

“That’s simple!” He exclaims, moving to stan on his two hind legs so as to raise his forelegs up high. “I’m a genius who’s destined to be the greatest magician!” He declares. His arms falter, though, when he mumbles out in a less eager voice, “I waited so long for the Ebony Carriage to come pick me up but…”

Grim doesn’t finish his sentence, letting it hang in the air between them.

He doesn't have to, though, because she understands very well.

With what spirit she has left, Erika slowly walks towards him and crouches down to his height, since kneeling would dirty her pants.

Carefully, she reaches out to him and pats him on the head, letting her hand rest there.

“At least you were able to experience the Entrance Ceremony, right…?” Is all she’s able to offer.

_I’m really bad at this_ , she thinks with an internal sigh.

Then, in the midst of her pity for him, she suddenly remembers something crucial.

When she focuses back on Grim, she sees that he’s staring up at her with wide blue eyes.

“You…” Is all he’s able to say.

As touching as the moment is becoming, Erika can’t quite forget the ordeal she’d been forced into in the first hour since she came into this world.

And all at the hands of this fucking _imp_.

Suddenly, her grip on his head tightens just a bit.

Grim tenses up, his brows scrunching together atop his wide eyes in confusion.

“I nearly forgot, but,” she says softly, looking down at him with cold eyes. “Didn’t you almost try to kill me a while ago?” She asks with a tilt of her head.

Grim flinches at the reminder.

She smiles at him.

There is nothing nice or sweet about her smile.

“Human—!” Grim squeaks. When her eyes narrow, he immediately corrects himself, “I mean, Erika! I had to do anything to get in this school, yeah?! You understand, don’t you? They’d kick me out as soon as they saw me without the uniform!”

Erika frowns at his reasoning. 

She moves her hand down to his furry cheek and, mercilessly, _pulls_.

As Grim goes _nyow, nyow, nyow!_ , she stops after a few seconds once she’s satisfied.

“That’s not a good reason, Grim,” she tells him in the calmest voice she can muster at this moment. “I’m only human, Grim. If that fire had touched me, I could have gotten hurt. Or worse, you could have burnt me to a crisp and that would have killed me,” she explains to him. She doesn’t expect him to apologize, knowing his character, but he should at least know that she, as much as she hates to admit this, is currently the most fragile being in this college.

_Human. And Magic-less to boot too_ , she thinks with a sigh.

“And regardless of whether you’re wearing the uniform or not, you would have been kicked out for all that ruckus you caused,” she adds as an afterthought because, hey. Her life was _way_ more important in the grand scheme of things.

Grim tilts his head at that, appearing as if he didn’t understand that part.

She doesn’t withhold her sigh this time. “The Entrance Ceremony is something that’s important to them.” Or...she believes it to be, since everybody had made such a ruckus about it in their personal stories in the game. “To this college. So, you barging into it was not only rude but also insulting to this school’s traditions.”

Grim narrows his eyes at her. “I couldn’t just sit and stand by as my chance slipped out!” He whines, then juts out his bottom lip in a parody of a pout. “I only got mad ‘cause everybody was laughing about it…”

His gaze goes down, the flames in his ears flickering weakly and staying close to the base.

Erika’s eyes soften, the chains around her heart loosening somewhat, and she moves her hand back to his head.

“I get where you’re coming from,” she murmurs, patting him as she does so. “But it was still wrong of you to attack everybody. You could have handled it better.

_Next time, don’t throw the first hit,_ is what she wants to say, but she keeps that bottled up in her throat.

Then, as if remembering that they could be doing something more efficient, she stands up to her full height and surveys the wreck of a living room one more time.

“Well,” she begins with a small flush rising to her cheeks. “We should probably explore the place to find a room we could sleep in,” she suggests.

... _I feel like I’m forgetting something important,_ are her thoughts as she gazes up at the top of the staircase, to where another dark abyss is waiting for her upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vgrbyfnmvfubc MC why did you ask for cleaning supplies first?? What about food?! Hahaha. 
> 
> And apparently, we won’t get any g-g-ghosts this chapter since my mind decided that we should have MC and Grim talk it out ヽ(゜～゜o)ノ I hope you appreciated the way she handled the situation.
> 
> Common Name: Blackberry


	19. Brassica juncea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I—” She hesitates, reminding herself that, Rule number one of surviving a horror movie: do NOT investigate. “Maybe we should stay here?” She suggests instead, her gaze sliding to a rather large archway leading to another dark room. “We could check out the other ro—”
> 
> She immediately shuts up.
> 
> Was that…?

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

She freezes at the unexpected sound, her foot just shy of hovering above the first step of the staircase. 

From somewhere behind her, Grim makes a sound of confusion. “Is somebody else here?” He asks, sounding more curious than indignant at the possibility of having to share a roof with somebody else.

“I...don’t think so,” she eventually settles on as she strains her ears in order to catch that sound again.

_Thud. Thud. Thud_.

She resolutely takes a step back when, to her disbelief, those slow banging sounds reverberate through the ceiling, the force of which enough to rattle the chandelier overhead.

_What kind of fucking horror show is this_ , she wants to sob out; yet, in a bid to maintain what dignity she has left, she instead tightly presses her lips together so as to silence herself.

An unfamiliar touch to her leg makes her jump and she immediately turns to the offender with round eyes.

She exhales in relief when, thank _fuck_ , it’s only Grim.

“Should we say hi?” He asks her with a slight tilt of his head, the flames in his ears glowing the same blue hue as his eyes are.

The innocent question catches her off guard.

“I—” She hesitates, reminding herself that, _Rule number one of surviving a horror movie:_ _do NOT investigate._ “Maybe we should stay here?” She suggests instead, her gaze sliding to a rather large archway leading to another dark room. “We could check out the other ro—”

She immediately shuts up.

Was that…?

“Eh?” Grim sounds out. “Check out what?” 

“I—” She finds herself struggling to form any sort words, especially when, for fuckity fuck’s sake, there’s a disembodied arm by the archway, exuberantly waving at her. “—Why don’t we go check out the room upstairs, Grim?” She suggests, ultimately picking what she believes is to be the lesser evil because—

_Disembodied. Arm_.

As quickly as she can, she zooms up the flight of stairs, uncaring of the shuddering _creak_ each step gives or if Grim is right behind her because—

Because—

_DIS! EMBODIED! ARM!_ Erika’s mind _screams_ with the effect of red sirens blaring aloud in the background, trying its very best to comprehend the impossible.

“Oi, oi! What’s the big deal?!” Grim complains as soon as they arrive on the second floor. “You didn’t have to run so fast!” 

“S-Sorry,” she pants out, her heart beating like _crazy_ and, when she checks the pulse on her neck, she finds it jumping at a worryingly rapid rate.

“Whatever,” huffs Grim, rolling his eyes at her and probably at how pathetic she must look, which, yeah, she can agree on. 

_What even was that?_ She thinks, not even daring to glance down the stairs just in case she might see it again. _Did I just imagine it…?_ It’s a plausible explanation, considering how rattled she’s been, and she reluctantly settles on that.

“Waahhh!” Grim suddenly resounds, snapping her out of her internal reverie. “This house is _huge!_ ” He cheers as he scampers from one end of the hallway to the other, leaving little footprints on the dust-covered floor.

Grim’s running around makes her notice how right he is.

“Oh,” she breathes out, tentatively walking towards the adjacent wall lined with rows of large arched windows. “This place is really big,” she murmurs, peering out into the rear courtyard that’s littered with what she assumes to be dead leaves.

She’d never truly noticed this in the game, of how _huge_ and _towering_ everything really is since the entire thing had seemed so compact from within her mobile phone.

In the back of her head, though, she can’t help but note how the banging sounds have mysteriously ceased.

_...This is going to be a pain to clean up_ , is her main worry as she looks up at the ceiling where, surprise surprise, heaps of cobwebs are dangling thickly from.

Her gaze slides to the flight of stairs leading up to the next floor, most likely to the attic, but she hardly has the courage to go up there at this time of day.

She’s already gone through enough as it is.

Seeing that she could spend her precious time more efficiently, Erika decides to check on the rooms to see which one would be the most livable in. This proves to be a difficult task, though, because each and every one of them proves to be as dirty as the living room.

_You’ve gotta be kidding me_ , she thinks as she stares up at a particularly large hole in the ceiling of one of the rooms. She’s thankful that there’s nothing leaking out of it, because she hardly thinks that she could scrounge out any buckets from this hellhole.

The next room has a hole in the floor that, when she takes a wary peek, appears to lead to the kitchen if the tiled floors are anything to talk about.

The room beside that has some of its windows cracked, leaving the room chillier than the rest.

And, as if to mock her, the one after that doesn’t even have a _bed_.

“Did some of the furniture here get stolen?” She mutters as she moves on to the next room, which just happens to be the last one on this floor. She hisses when static strikes her hand the minute she comes into contact with the doorknob, and she rectifies that by using her robe as a glove so that she could safely open the door.

She blinks.

“This is…” She involuntarily murmurs, her gaze moving from one furniture to the next so as to confirm her suspicions.

A rumpled carpet underneath a dusty bed. An overturned table at the feet of a cloth-covered armchair. Ornaments left to gather dust and cobwebs on either the shelves or the floor. A _tick-tick-ticking_ clock just above a cold fireplace.

Her gaze falls onto the most distinct feature of this room.

A large mirror that’s stained so badly that it looks no better than a dark and cloudy painting.

_The protagonist’s room_ , she realizes with surprise, taking a few tentative steps forward so as to better scrutinize the room that, admittedly, is by far the largest out of all the ones she’d inspected.

_This must have been the Dorm Head’s room_ , she thinks, as she slowly trails the tip of her finger across the nearest surface, tracing little patterns into the blanket of dust. _When this place used to be a dorm._

She mindlessly draws a few shapes here and there, writes a couple of random numbers, and even carves her full name several times in the dirt.

She stops, finding it meaningless at this point.

Silently, she stares at it.

_Is this..._

She traces her finger across one of her names, a clear line striking cleanly through the letters. 

_Is this how the protagonist felt?_

She pulls her finger away and is unsurprised to find the tip painted a filthy black.

_Lost?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was honestly supposed to be a purely fun chapter but lmao nah. My brain decided that we should end like this before C H A O S ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
> 
> Common Name: Mustasa or Black Mustard Seed


	20. Coffea arabica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cold feeling seeps into her gut.
> 
> At the same time, a freezingly cold sensation touches her shoulder, and what feels like fingers dig slightly into her robe.
> 
> Then, quietly and against her ear, “Boo.”

A shriek from down the hall harshly shocks her out of her internal reverie.

_What was that?!_ Something murky begins curling sinisterly in her gut and, just by that feeling alone, she knows something terrible must have happened.

Cautiously, she exits the room to go check on what's going on.

_Ah_ , she thinks, something going distinctly _click_ in her mind as the final piece of the puzzle settles into place. _I knew I was forgetting something_.

She feels a bit foolish now, for missing one of the most important details that make up Ramshackle Dorm: the goddamn _ghosts_.

At this moment, two of them float around Grim, cornering him against the wall with their wispy and almost translucent bodies blocking him from escape.

From the other end of the hallway, Erika can hardly make out what Grim's reaction to the ghosts are, but she straightens her back when she sees a familiar lick of blue fire arcing around his open mouth.

Then, to her absolute horror, Grim spits out a blue blaze.

It misses the ghosts, of course, and instead hits the wall right next to a door, leaving a dark and obvious scorch mark upon it.

_Grim?!_ She screeches in her mind.

_“Where are you aiming?”_ Mocks one of the ghosts, its voice ringing out in an unnatural and clearly inhumane manner. _“Is that all you’ve got, pu~ssy cat?”_ It croons. 

Its companion, a smaller and more robust ghost, giggles. _“Over here, kitty, over here!”_ It exclaims, circling slowly around Grim’s head in a way to better tease him.

An audible growl fills the hallway, and Erika’s stomach drops at that.

“Nyagh!” Snarls Grim as he jumps to his hind legs. “Stop disappearing, you bugs!” He complains, before he blows out a blue stream of fire that misses the ghost once again when they timely dodge.

To her alarm, the flames hit the same wall in an impressive streak, leaving a scorching black line so long that it even marks the two doors right next to it.

_I have to stop him!_ She decides because, if let to his own devices, Grim would _absolutely_ and _100%_ burn down the only shelter they have!

“Grim!” She snaps, hurriedly running up but stopping once she’s a safe distance away from the three. “What are you doing?! You’re going to burn this place down!”

Much nearer, it’s easier to see the evident tears of frustration in Grim’s eyes.

“Shut up! I’m gonna smoke these two idiots!”

As he declares that, Grim spits out another fireball, which the ghosts once more dodges, and it instead hits one of the glass windows.

A startling web of cracks appears against the glass from the force of the heat, distinct black streaks running along the lines.

Irritation blooms freshly within her chest.

_This raccoon!_ She screams in her mind.

“Remember what the Headmaster said!” Erika loudly reminds him. “If you burn this place down, he’ll kick you out for sure! And in this rain too!” She gestures to the heavy pouring outside.

Grim falters at that, his gaze going to the windows that reveal a worryingly cold downpour that’s sure to extinguish the flames in his ears.

Seeing his reluctance, she immediately takes her chance and offers him a loud, “I’ll help!” When he snaps his head towards her, a look of disbelief coloring his features, she expounds, “I can cover your blind spots!” 

As soon as those words had slipped out of her mouth, a familiar wave of static pieces through her mind and, next thing she knows, the glowing green circles are back in business.

_This again!_ She wants to sob at the sight of them, because is this for _real?_ However, she isn’t given the time to agonize over that, especially when she notices one of the ghosts creeping closer to Grim’s back.

“Behind you!” She directs, pointing past him.

Grim jolts at her command and, without a single question, he whirls around with a jet of fire shooting out of his mouth.

The stream of trailing fire hits the lankier ghost plain in the face and, coincidentally, the glowing green circle that had been there as well.

_Thum!_

“Guh!” Says the ghost, as the circle bursts into sparkles around him. “Hot! Hot!”

Grim, in stark contrast, is _ecstatic_ that his attack had landed. “It hit,” he says aloud, sounding surprised. Then, much louder and happier, “It hit! Alright, alright! Let’s teach them a lesson, Erika!” He cheers with newfound energy blazing brightly from his ears.

However, before she could even sound out her response, another circle appears in her vision, just where the smaller ghost had emerged from the wall, and she shouts, “Your left!”

Grim immediately spins to action at that, spitting out another fireball that hits the smaller ghost in the face and makes the circle disappear with a pleasing sound of _thum!_ that rings beautifully in her head.

It takes a while for them to ward off the ghosts, but it’s clear that their attacks are doing _some_ kind of damage since the ghosts' movements are definitely more sluggish than before and their bodies are becoming much more translucent.

_“Boooooo!”_ The small one whines. _“You’re no fun!”_ It complains with a huff.

_“Yeah!”_ Agrees the lanky one. _“We just wanted to play!”_

The two mulishly glare at them from where their heads are peeked out from the walls, their bodies safely shielded from any more flaming attacks.

“Nyagh!” Grim snarls in indignation. “Who you calling no fun?! You’re the ones who decided to mess with me!” He rages, the flames of his ears crackling high above his head.

Erika feels a bit bad for the two ghosts, who were probably just looking for some sort of entertainment, but she finds herself suddenly preoccupied with an important detail.

... _Why are there only two ghosts?_ If she remembers this right, there should have been _three_ like in the game.

She looks up when another stream of blue fire appears in the corners of her vision. Exasperated, she opens her mouth to berate Grim before she realizes a _very_ critical element.

The music is still playing in her head.

Which, based on her limited experience, is _weird_ since she doesn’t see any more glowing green circles.

A cold feeling seeps into her gut.

At the same time, a freezingly cold sensation touches her shoulder, and what feels like fingers dig slightly into her robe.

Then, quietly and against her ear, _“Boo.”_

Erika whirls around with a shriek stuck in her throat and a hammering heart, looking wide-eyed at the missing _third_ ghost that had been hiding behind her for who knows how long.

She only realizes a little too late that she’d pulled her arm back with her hand already clenched into a tight and proper fist, her thumb safely out.

There is, she horrifyingly notes, a circle glowing right in front of this particular ghost’s face.

_“Gyahahaha!”_ The chubby ghost laughs, a grin stretched wide across its face and its eyes unsuspectingly closed in glee. _“You let your guard do—”_

The ghost is cut off when she, for a lack of a better word, _slugs_ him in the face, her fist going straight through the glowing green circle that goes _Thum!_ at the contact and disappears in a burst of sparkles.

She watches it hit the floor with a _thud_ , its body surprisingly solid.

The ache in her knuckles is a testament to its corporeal form.

Slowly, the ghost lifts its gaze up from the ground to meet her own, a hand cradling its still pale cheek.

She stares back down at it, her fist trembling slightly and still mid-air in the place where she’d punched the ghost.

Then, fully registering what she’d just _done_ , she immediately covers her mouth, horrified.

“Oh my god,” she breathes out, her heart going _thump thump thump thump_ in panic. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my _god_.”

She can’t believe she just _punched a ghost_.

“Are you okay?!” She squeaks, taking a step forward to help it up, but then, remembering that this was a _ghost_ that she’d just fucking _punched_ in the _face_ , she promptly takes a few steps back.

_Oh God,_ she thinks, appalled. 

“I—” She closes her mouth soon after, unable to find the right words to say in this kind of situation because _she just punched a ghost._

_“Hey!”_ One of the ghosts bothering Grim, the smaller one, shouts, its head appearing from—

She chokes

—from the ground between her legs?!

In her horribly frazzled state, her mind briefly mistakes it for a particularly large and white cockroach and, as with all things cockroach-related, she raises her leg up high then slams the sole of her foot down onto it.

She only realizes what she’d unwittingly done when the glowing green circle bursts with a triumphant _Thum!_ when she’d kicked right through it and, unfortunately, into the small ghost’s face to send it back into the floor.

With a panicked sound, she skips back a few steps.

“Oh God,” she breathes out and, harriedly, she remembers that she’s wearing _heels_. She opens her mouth, prepared to apologize, but she’s cut off once more by the last trio of ghosts.

_“How dare you hurt them!”_ The lanky one accuses her, suddenly dropping down from the ceiling like a jangling spider. _“You—!”_ It reaches out for her.

However, just before it could lay its hands on her, a fireball hits it straight in the face, sending it tumbling down to the chubby ghost and, as one, the two sink deep into the floorboards with pained groans.

Surprised, she turns around to Grim who’s glaring at the spot where the two ghosts had been.

“That will show them!” He huffs with a cross of his arms. Then, as if noticing her staring, he looks up at her. “What?” He demands, smoke still gathered around his mouth, and an irritated expression painted upon his features

Erika blinks. She opens her mouth but soon closes it, the words a heavy weight on her tongue.

_You…_ she thinks.

“...Thank you,” she eventually tells him.

Grim blinks at her, furrowing his brows as if confused by her words.

However, just before she could elaborate on her gratitude, an unexpected clapping from behind them catches her attention.

The two of them turn around and there, standing primly by the top of the stairs, is Crowley in all his feather glory, clapping at them.

As one, both she and Grim gawk.

“That was a spectacular performance!” Crowley exclaims. “That display of teamwork! Those coordinated commands and attacks—! I knew my teacher senses weren’t failing me!” He crows, patting himself proudly on the chest as if _he_ had done a good job.

Grim makes a frustrated sound in his throat in response to this. “You! How long have been standing there!” he demands, and Erika sees his point.

If Crowley had been there for quite some time, then why didn’t he do anything?!

Crowley merely blinks and tilts his head at them. “How long? Well, I believe around the middle you guys fought off those prankster ghosts!” He answers with a sure nod.

Grim narrows his eyes at Crowley’s words. “Hah?! Since then?! They why didn’t you do anything?!”

Crowley’s eye lights disappear as he shrugs. “The two of you proved to be capable of the task, so I didn’t see the need to intervene,” is his only explanation. His eye lights reappear after that as he says, “Besides, I went through all the trouble to get all the things that were requested for and…” He trails off, a pitiful frown on his lips. “I even graciously brought you two supper.” 

Crowley sniffs, sounding pathetic and pitiful.

Erika cannot fucking believe this man. 

Grim, on the other hand, does a complete 180 in his personality and perks up. “You brought food?” He asks, tilting his head back a little to scent the air.

“And canned goods as well,” Crowley adds. “I even thought of bringing some canned tuna for you, since you promised to behave.”

At the mere mention of canned tuna, Grim doesn’t waste any time to zoom past Crowley and down the stairs with a resolute _mine!_ echoing behind him.

Silence occupies the air between her and Crowley.

Then, for the sake of avoiding an awkward atmosphere, Erika tentatively asks, “Does he even know where you put the tuna?”

Crowley’s eye lights flicker to her, still and quiet.

Just when she thinks that _maybe_ she shouldn’t have opened her mouth, Crowley suddenly rummages through the inner pockets of his coat and brings out something to present to her.

She takes one good look at the small stack of steel cans wrapped in a pale yellow foil, sees the blackfish insignia emblazoned in the center, and understands. 

Her mouth opens in a small gap.

Crowley smiles a small and secretive smile at her. 

“I doubt it,” he chuckles in a low and amused voice. He puts the cans back in his jacket and, after a sharp rap of cane against the floor, gestures for her to follow him down the steps. “Come. I believe that we have a lot of things to talk about.”

She nods; however, just as moves to follow him, she’s suddenly hit with a wave of vertigo.

_What…?_ She falters in her step, and this proves to be near-fatal for her if she’d not caught herself on the railing just in time, preventing her from tumbling down the stairs.

The railing moans out in protest to her weight, and this immediately catches Crowley’s attention.

“Are you alright?” The Headmaster asks in concern, going back up a few steps to support her.

Too queasy to answer him she accepts the touch, allowing her to be guided down the steps with assistance because _fuck_ , did that just come out of nowhere.

When the two of them finally reach the first floor, the dizziness building up at the back of her mind has subsided to a more manageable degree.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, truly grateful for his help, and weakly pushes her away from him.

Crowley politely backs away, giving her the space to breathe.

“Are you alright?” He asks her once more, the eye lights of his mask dimming somewhat.

She nods slowly. “Yeah...I think I am,” she tells him. “I must have been more tired than I’d thought,” she presumes, even though she knows at the back of her head that her getting so sick at so many times a day is _not_ normal.

_Could it be a side-effect of coming to this world?_ She wonders, but even that feels wrong.

A furious shriek from somewhere alerts both her and Crowley. 

_Grim_ , she realizes, looking up at Crowley who appears to share the same sentiments with her.

With more important matters to attend to, she shoves aside her current concerns and follows after Crowley as he leads the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter! (o>艸<) I wanted to post this the other day in a double-update since gosh, MC's response to getting spooked is just golden ehe. I didn't, obviously, since I wanted to refine a few things in the morning when I had a clearer head ehe.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! 'Cause we're just honestly getting started HAHA. (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> (Ps. fcdxsmk I just posted this 5 minutes before my test HAH And guys pls pray for me for Deuce's Pick-Up Summon :'> I've been so terribly nice, haven't I?)
> 
> Common Name: Arabian Coffee


	21. Vicia faba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But!” She immediately cuts him off, because this will be the rest of her future that she’ll be bartering with. “Can I ask for a condition? Only one! I promise!”

In this dreadful and unbelievable world, it’s suffice to say that Erika hardly slept a wink on her first night.

The remnants of her restlessness must show, since the first thing that comes out of Grim’s mouth when he takes one good and long look at her the next morning is,

“You look _nasty_.”

She can hardly fault him that—even _she_ feels how nasty she must look.

“I cleaned the bathrooms last night,” she informs him after a mighty yawn, just in case he wanted to know, but she belatedly wonders if Grim even wanted to take a bath in the first place.

_Does he just...lick himself clean?_ She wonders, conjuring the mental image of Grim laying down on his side, one of hind leg kicked up with the little paw primly pointed up at the sky, and hunching over himself in order to thoroughly lick through the fur on his belly.

She nearly snorts, but the action escapes her when a yawn forces its way out of her mouth.

God, even her _mouth_ tasted as if something died in it.

“You cleaned the bathrooms?” Grim questions, sounding gobsmacked, before the entire sentence appears to register in his mind for he soon incredulously exclaims, “Are you _crazy?!_ Why would you do that instead of sleeping? Don’t humans sleep too?”

He’s looking at her as if she’d grown a second head, but really, she feels more like she’s living on one brain cell today with how drained she is.

“Humans do, but I just couldn’t sleep last night.” She shrugs noncommittal, because _really_ as if she’d feel safe enough to sleep in a house that had absolutely _zero_ locks. 

_I should put that on the list_ , she contemplates over as she reaches out for one of the tuna sandwiches she’d prepared and takes a mulish bite out of one.

She chews in discontent, the mean of the tuna cold against her tongue, and she puts it in her priorities to also purchase either a microwave or rice cooker since she couldn’t just live off of canned goods for, well, _forever_.

_I should probably buy a rice cooker instead_ , she hums as she swallows down the rest of her sandwich. _I still remember how to make soup and stew in there…_

She can already hear her grandmother in the afterlife yelling at her for _relying on those plastic canned food_ and _fake and stupid powdered soup_ but this granddaughter has to somehow survive on a minimum wage so—

_Sorry, granny_ , is all she’s able to offer up.

“Nya, nya, these are good!” Grim makes little sounds of happiness as he munches on sandwich after sandwich, clearly enjoying himself.

Her gaze softens when she sees how _joyous_ he is over such a simple and lackluster meal, and she feels bad that this is all she could scrounge up with what meager resources they have.

“Thank you, Grim,” she tells him, because it’s not every day that somebody calls her mediocre cooking skills _good_ , and she reaches out to pat him on the head. He has a bit of sauce on the corner of his mouth, but she supposes that he’d prefer to lick that off himself. “You can have the rest of my share, if you’d like. I’m just gonna go take a bath before we head off to work,” she informs him as she pushes the rest of her meal towards him.

Grim delightfully accepts her last sandwich. “Oh! Could you make more for me?” He asks, looking up at her with round and innocent-looking eyes.

As much as she wants to, all she can do is sigh as she stands up. “Not anymore, I’m afraid. We’ll have to ration ourselves properly, or else we’ll run out of food before we get our salary,” she tries her best to explain to him.

Grim’s brows furrow down, and he looks down at the last sandwich he has left, a look of contemplation on his face as he wonders how he’ll eat it.

She exhales through the nose and pats him once more on the head when she reaches his side of the table. 

“I’ll make some for our lunch,” she comforts him, smiling slightly when he looks up at her in surprise. “It’d be bad if we ran out of fuel in the middle of a job, ne?”

_And also so that we won’t have to buy in the cafeteria,_ she smartly decides on, nervously wondering how much the cheapest meal set would be in this prestigious academy. Crowley had informed both her and Grim that they were free to eat lunch in the cafeteria so long as they were here, but wouldn’t that mean deducting money from their salary, didn’t it?

“Don’t eat all the canned tuna while I’m in the bathroom,” she warns him, sending him another chilly look just so that he’d know to _not_ even try it, before she marches up the stairs.

.

..

…

..

.

The cold water that rains down strongly on her back is both a blessing and a curse.

“AJSKFCHFBVCJENDWDSXZVHB!!! _”_ She screams at the fucking freezing shower she’d talked herself into for the better part of five minutes, regretting every second she’s under the torturous spray.

It takes a while for her to get used to the horrible temperature, but even then she’s unable to properly close her eyes for any longer than ten seconds because it makes it so, _so_ much easier to imagine that she’s somewhere deep underwater where a giant squid could probably swallow her whole.

_I’m definitely gonna invest in a heater_ , is her resolute thought as she washes herself as diligently as she can. 

Once she’s satisfied with herself, she reaches out for the trail of shampoo sachets that Crowley had packed together with the clothes he’d given her. 

“Not even a shampoo bottle,” she mutters, tearing one out from the rest and ripping it open with her teeth. 

She coughs when a small bit of shampoo gets into her mouth but she immediately washes out the taste before proceeding to cleanse her hair.

As she massages her hair, she sighs loudly to herself.

“I hope I didn’t fuck up,” she sniffs, recalling the events of last night before Crowley had bid them a good night and Grim had gone off to sleep—

.

..

…

..

.

_“Oh, how most fortunate of me, to discover somebody with a knack for taming beasts!” Crows Crowley, spinning his cane in that hypnotizing manner of his. “Erika, this skill of yours only surfaces in a rare few! Why, to think that I’d find a beast tamer, no…”_

_Whilst Crowley’s murmurs trail off into incoherent territory, Erika can only believe—_

_Is he mad?_

_It's true that she had a certain fondness for animals, but that didn’t necessarily equate to her being_ good _at training them! She could hardly teach her parents’ dogs how to pee outside of the room when it was her turn to babysit them, and her grandfather’s cats always hid from her the minute they heard her voice!_

_Her? A beast tamer? Yeah, right!_

_“Um, excuse me, sir?” Erika tries to get Crowley’s attention and, when she has it, she tentatively asks, “Is it alright if Grim could stay with me for the meantime?”_

_Crowley raises his brows at her, and she can hardly blame him for his reaction. “This one? Are you sure?” He asks, bemusedly looking at the busily munching monster who appears to be in a world of his own._

_She puts on her best smile. “Well, uh, considering that there are also other occupants in this house, I’d feel better if I had somebody with me? Somebody, erm, familiar?” She suggests, but really, her intentions are entirely less pure than, really, keeping to the canon plotline.._

_After all, Grim would be just_ the _buffer she’d need against those ghosts, two of which she’d punched and kicked and were probably looking for some kind of revenge._

_“Hmmm,” Crowley draws out. “So long as he’s under your responsibility, then I wouldn’t mind if he’d stay within school grounds,” he agrees, before, surprisingly enough, he thoughtfully elaborates, “You’ll need some form of protection, after all, considering your circumstances. And my busy schedule cannot permit me to be by your side for any longer than a dozen minutes on average.”_

_A breath of relief leaves Erika at that. “Thank you,” she tells him, truly grateful._

_“Now, I believe that we must discuss the matter of you staying here,” Crowley finally brings out the most vital topic of their conversation, and she nods to show her undivided attention. “I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I cannot simply allow a monster and an individual without magic to enroll in our school unless certain conditions have been met.”_

_She nods slowly at that. “I understand.”_

_“However,” Crowley sharply interjects. “Considering that the Dark Mirror had called your soul here, the school is obligated to take responsibility for it and some leeway will be provided, such as giving you permission to indefinitely live in the Ramshackle Dorm,” he details to her._

_“Okay,” she affirms and, just when a thank you lies on the tip of her tongue, she quiets herself when Crowley suddenly raises a hand._

_“Though I’m afraid that you’ll have to provide yourself with any other necessities,” he breaks it to her, and her heart sinks at that when she realizes that, unfortunately enough, she won’t be able to lean on him anymore. “Night Raven College isn’t a simple charity foundation, but, out of the graciousness of my heart, I have taken the liberty of getting you the essentials that you might need, like some weeks’ worth of food, the cleaning materials you requested, and some sets of clothes from this institution’s store.”_

_“...Thank you,” she’s finally able to say, her gut feeling like a bottomless abyss prepared to swallow her whole, and she knows by that feeling alone that she won’t be able to sleep peacefully that night._

_“And this is where I offer you a job,” Crowley beams, his sudden mood-change from gloomy to sunny nearly giving her whiplash. “If you do some maintenance and odd jobs for me around the campus, then I’ll be willing to pay you for your work!” He brightly offers._

Ah _, she thinks._ Here it is _._

_The infamous handyman proposition._

_And, as much as she doesn’t quite trust herself when it comes to repairing things, she can hardly pass up this opportunity given her current situation…_

_With truly nothing left to lose, she reluctantly accepts the deal._

_Crowley’s grin widens, truly ecstatic at her decision, and he opens his mouth to say something._

_“But!” She immediately cuts him off, because this will be the rest of her_ future _that she’ll be bartering with. “Can I ask for a condition? Only one! I promise!”_

_The surprised look that Crowley initially gives her is soon replaced by a critical one._

_“Oh? And what is it?”_

_She opens her mouth—_

.

..

…

..

.

—and hopefully, _hopefully_ , the condition she’d set will push through.

“Please,” she pleads to the grout in the tiles, but even she knows that’s a stupid thing to ask for.

She glances at her phone sitting by the sink, her game grinding on loop, and she wonders if it would help her if she reviewed the prologue again.

_Just in case_ , she thinks, before she mutters a curse when a bit of shampoo gets in her eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC is no better than a broke college girl with another mouth to feed at this point. If only we could send her care packages ahaha.
> 
> HMMMM. What do you guys think MC’s condition is lol. 
> 
> Common Name: Fava Beans


	22. Chinchilla lanigera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she moves her gaze elsewhere to look for a new spot to clean, she accidentally comes into contact with a pair of startlingly blue eyes. 
> 
> Wasn’t that….? She internally wonders, taking note of the soft lavender hue of this person’s hair that nobody in her world would have ordinarily had unless they used a really good hair dye. 

There is...something oddly comforting about being bathed by the sun’s rays in the morning. As if there were warm and translucent hands cradling her face in an almost tender way, its touch featherlight yet _there_.

It’s a stark contrast to the cold and gloomy atmosphere that seems to _stick_ to Ramshackle Dorm’s, well, ramshackled appearance; already, she can feel her mood significantly spiking just by being out here, under the sun, and surrounded by so much greenery.

“Mhhhm, mhhhmhm, mhhm, mhhhm.” She finds herself humming to a tune at the back of her mind as she contentedly sweeps the cobblestone-path of the school’s courtyard.

_I should probably thank Crowley again the next time I see him…_ She ponders over whilst brushing any fallen leaves off of the path.

After all, Crowley _had_ abided by her condition—

_Place me anywhere, but please not in the walkway with the statues of the Great Seven_ , she’d requested last night, and, when he’d come to pick her up this morning, Crowley had oh so graciously placed her and Grim in the courtyard, tasking them with, as he’d put it, _cleaning anything you deem filthy!_

—and, for that, she truly is grateful to him.

Because now, _now_ , she’d be able to avoid a major plot point of the game, and hopefully make her unintended stay here in Twisted Wonderland considerably safer and smoother.

_After all,_ she starts in her mind, toeing a stray pebble back to the grass. _Without those statues, Grim won’t have to ask about the Great Seven. And without those Great Seven, Ace wouldn’t have a reason to approach us and get Grim angry!_ She thinks in triumph, mentally fist-pumping the air because wasn’t she just so smart? _It’s because he angered Grim that things went downhill in the first place!_

Taking pride in her plan, Erika devotes her renewed energy into cleaning.

“Hmmm,” she murmurs, glancing at the well, particularly at the moss that had started to grow on around the rim. It’s aesthetically pleasing, that’s for sure, but an outgrowth of that wasn’t exactly the cutest thing to deal with. “I should probably look for the nearest janitor closet.” 

There could be some cleaning materials she could borrow from there.

When she moves her gaze elsewhere to look for a new spot to clean, she accidentally comes into contact with a pair of startlingly blue eyes. 

The eye contact lasts for a brief moment, though, before the owner of which pointedly looks away and scurries off into the depths of a nearby hallway.

She blinks.

_Wasn’t that….?_ She internally wonders, taking note of the soft lavender hue of this person’s hair that nobody in her world would have ordinarily had unless they used a really good hair dye. 

However, seeing that she’d just caught somebody staring at her, she turns to check if she has any more unwanted spectators.

What she sees makes her sighs.

_Am I really that interesting?_ She wonders even though she really gets where they’re coming from.

It’s not every day you find a woman in NRC, after all, much less one that is publicly _cleaning_.

_But really...shouldn’t they be attending their classes already?_ She thinks, and this makes her curious as to whether or not they’re paying a tuition fee here, and how much if so.

A sudden commotion from behind breaks her train of thought.

It honestly pains her to admit that she’s not all that surprised to see that it’s _Grim_ causing such a fuss.

“What are you staring at, human?!” Grim demands, the flames in his ears burning worryingly high. 

He appears to be glaring at one of the students that had gotten a bit too close to the center of the courtyard, to where she is.

The student opens his mouth, probably to retort something insulting, but he takes one good and long look at the fire curling alarmingly around Grim’s mouth and decides otherwise.

Smartly, the student takes a step back, a bit of fear contorting his features.

“Tsk. I just wanted to walk by,” is the excuse he spits out before he proceeds to turn on his heel and retreat back to a group of students that she presumes must be friends.

Erika watches the group walk around the courtyard, clearly keeping their distance from them, and doesn’t know if she should feel concerned for what had just transpired or relieved that the whole thing hadn’t blown over.

Speaking of what had just happened…

“Grim!” She calls out to, steadily making her way towards him whilst brandishing her broom like some kind of shield. “You shouldn’t have done that. They’re students here,” she scolds him, tapping him gently on the head with her broom’s handle. “They’re free to walk in the courtyard if they want to. We can just scrub out their footprints later when they’re in class.”

Grim crosses his arms with a loud huff. “That’s not why I got angry!” He turns his head, his gaze sharp on another particular group of students watching them from the side. “Why are they even looking at us? We’re just cleaning, dammit! What are we, a circus?!” He complains, baring his canines at the group in a bid to scare them away, which works.

Erika crouches down and promptly closes his mouth. 

Grim turns to her with the roundest eyes, the ears in his flames stilling.

“I get why you’re mad, but you really shouldn’t threaten them,” she repeats in a gentler voice. “Crowley could dock our pay if we scare any more students, then how else will we buy more tuna for you?” _And also my rice cooker..._

As she’d predicted, Grim’s eyes widen. He makes some sort of noise, one of protest, and promptly removes her hand to let him speak.

“NO!” Is the first word out of Grim’s mouth. “No, no, no! Nobody’s taking my tuna!” He fervently says, faint plumes of smoke coming out of his mouth.

“Mhhm,” she hums, patting him on the head. “That’s why, we both have to be good, okay?” She tells him, but then quickly adds, “But if someone’s bullying you, you come straight to me, okay? We’ll handle it together.”

Though she has little faith that she could do something for him, especially against any of the main cast of characters, surely they could bring the issue up to Crowley?

_Let’s just hope nothing bad happens…_ Is her weak conclusion, doubting the man's abilities when it comes to handling the rowdy students of his college.

Suddenly, an idea hits her.

“Hey, Grim,” she calls to get his wandering attention. When she has it, she pats him once more on the head, cherishing the almost velvety quality to his fur. She wonders what’s the secret to maintaining it. “Could you get something for me from the janitor closet?”

Grim curiously tilts his head at her and, coincidentally, this causes her hand to move to his right ear.

She flinches when her palm comes into contact with the flame in that ear, the sudden heat from it forcing her to retract her hand back.

“Could you get me a bottle of bleach or vinegar solution?” She requests for, remembering that either of those would work well in clearing off the moss on the well. She’d prefer the latter, though, since that wouldn’t whiten the stone. “And, once you come back and we’re done cleaning the well, we could do a bit exploring,” she suggests with a small laugh at the end. “Crowley hasn’t given us any other tasks but this one, so I assume we’re free to do whatever we want after…”

_I should probably check out the library_ , she considers.

“Hmmmmmmm,” stretches out Grim as he contemplates her offer. “...After?” He asks.

She nods. “As soon we’re done putting away the cleaning supplies,” she clarifies.

“Hnnnghh, fine,” he eventually gives in, his pitchforked-tail swinging from side to side, and it’s evident to see how secretly excited he is over a task assigned to him and only him.

The edges of her lips curl up, unable to fight off the fondness blooming in her chest at how cute this little imp can be, and she pats him once more on the head before rummaging through her pockets.

She pulls out the rolled up piece of laminated paper that Crowley had given her and easily spreads out the school map for Grim to see.

“This is where the courtyard is,” she says as she points at its spot on the map, making that sure that Grim had registered her words before she continues. “Now, you’ll have to go through here in the west corridor on this floor then make a left at the end.” She drags her finger across the route a few times and even makes Grim do it with his paw so that he won’t forget. “The equipment room should be at the end of that hallway.”

Grim stares at the map with a tilt of his head, his eyes tracing over the route, and then takes the map from her. “You can count on me! I, the Great Grim, am capable of performing this task better than anyone else!” He boasts with a puff of his furry chest.

She watches him scamper off into the correct hallway, then gets up on her feet with a familiar ache in her knees and turns around to get back to wo—

“Wha—” is what escapes her when she suddenly comes into contact with another body that had _definitely_ not been there before.

She manages to step back just in time before she could unceremoniously collide with this new person, and the heel of her foot digs uncomfortably into the cobblestone beneath her.

With a burst of ire stinging her fists, she snaps her head up.

It is, as with all the second-long courageous acts she’s done, a foolish thing.

The sight of a wide grin filled with nothing but rows of sharp, _sharp_ teeth sends a bolt of fear down her spine.

_Floyd?!_ She exclaims, her mind trying to wrap around the prospect of Floyd Leech _here_ , in the courtyard, in what is supposed to be the _prologue_ portion of the game.

In her confusion, she takes a few more steps back, but she halts with a flinch when a pair of hands from behind land on her shoulder, the fingers of which resting placidly on her collarbone and frighteningly close to her neck.

With their size, it's easy for her to imagine these hands effortlessly choking her.

With her guts churning horribly, she snaps her head back to look up at—

At a pleasantly smiling face belonging to none other than Jade motherfucking Leech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof posted this late, but here you go! Hope you enjoy hehe. The chapter summary is very misleading :D Heh, ya'll thought you'd get Epel content but nope *throws Leech twins* you get this instead.
> 
> Common Name: Long-tailed Chinchilla


	23. Siebenrockiella leytensis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And just what do the two of you think you’re doing?”

In this nightmare-become-reality kind of situation, Erika immediately opens her mouth, for all thoughts and purposes to _scream_ , but all that comes out is a little and horribly embarrassing squeak.

She snaps her mouth shut and flushes the ugliest shade of red when she realizes what she’d done.

The smile on Jade’s face, though barely perceptible, grows wider.

“It appears you were right, Floyd,” Jade says, his eyes looking up to meet his brother’s. “This does appear to be the enigmatic first-year who spoke to us in the Entrance Ceremony,” he says, sounding surprised, but Erika has known this character—this _person_ well enough to see how obviously _faux_ his act is.

In contrast to Jade’s even-tempered personality, Floyd’s is clearly unrestrained for he immediately laughs out a bright and clear sound. “Hehe~ I told you so Jade!” He languidly says. “I told you that voice sounded familiar!”

Then, as one, the two of them look back down at her, _towering_ over her with their insane heights, and with their own version of a smile plastered upon their lips.

Erika feels as if she could pee herself then and there.

“And I now see why the Dark Mirror hadn’t been able to sort you properly,” hums Jade, his hands still settled atop her shoulders in a seemingly precarious fashion—as if giving her a chance to flee with her life, _daring_ her to escape.

She does not _consider_ that chance, because she’s sure that she’ll never be able to outrun them with those long-ass legs of theirs.

“Was this perhaps the secret you were hiding?” He asks with a slight tilt of his head that makes his distinctly darker strands of hair and earring follow the movement. 

Both Jade and Floyd remain silent, as if expecting her to answer such a vague question, but she nevertheless takes that as her cue to speak up so as to avoid a solid maiming.

Slowly, she shakes her head. “N—” The word gets stuck in her throat for a brief while, her tongue feeling as heavy and thick as a lollipop, but she forces herself to swallow down her nervousness. “ _No_ ,” she eventually gets out. “No. I...I wasn’t hiding anything. Never was,” she denied, gripping the long handle of her broom even tighter.

Floyd hums out a long and drawn-out sound. “Ne, Jade,” he calls out to his twin as he moves a few steps forward, effectively caging her between the two of them. “Right, the Ebony Carriages are supposed to pick up boys? Then why’s a girl here?”

“I believe I can’t answer that, Floyd,” Jade says with an exasperated smile, his brows drawn firmly together as if he can’t help not knowing and is trying not to be so saddened by it. “But maybe the individual in question would know, yes?”

Again, the two of them look down at her.

_This is the worst sandwich ever,_ she wants to sob out.

“I honestly don’t know,” is her feeble response. “I just...woke up here. In that coffin.” Seeing the sudden raise of their bows and fearing that, maybe, she’d displeased them in some way that would probably end in her losing a few fingers, she hastily says, “B-But I’m not a student here! Headmaster Crowley arranged a place for me to stay until, well, until I get sent back home.”

She feels a little out of breath at having to rush all of that out, and she feels a piece of herself rip itself off of her being at being so ridiculously _easy_ to intimidate.

Floyd tilts his head, leaning a bit further and holy shit she can hardly even breathe in this pitiful amount of space!

“Hmm? And why’s that, fishy?” He asks her and, up-close, she can definitely see the amused glint in his eyes. “The Dark Mirror should have been able to bring you back home but~” The lids of his eyes lower, giving him an almost lazy ( _predatory_ ) look. “Why are you still here then?”

Erika trembles, hard enough that she can practically _hear_ the chattering of her teeth.

“I, I, I,” is all that pathetically stumbles out of her mouth, before a string of words curls around her tongue, teaching her how to speak, _reminding_ her how talking works. “I’m sorry! But I’m only a handyman! You can ask the Headmaster about that!”

The two blink at her for some reason before they share a look overhead, a whole other conversation exclusively privy to the both of them occurring between them. Eventually, they appear to have settled upon something for they break eye contact and look back down at her once more.

She tenses when Jade’s grip on her suddenly tightens to an uncomfortable degree.

Floyd opens his mouth—

“And just _what_ do the two of you think you’re doing?”

A sharp voice suddenly cuts through the stretched-taut atmosphere, making her tense up, her teeth clicking audibly shut out of surprise.

“Blocking the way so early in the morning. Don’t the two of you have anything better to do?” The same voice asks, its tone clearly hinting that its owner is not one to leave any space for petty excuses.

With both twins blocking her, she’s unable to immediately determine just _who_ this person is; however, what she _does_ instantly notice is the way Floyd’s entire demeanor just _shifts_.

“Goldfish~” Floyd practically purrs, parting from her front in order to quickly stick himself to his new target. “Ah, ah. I see you’re a redder shade today than you usually are~” He cheers, making it sound like some kind of achievement to be joyous about.

_Goldfish,_ she thinks, the nickname clicking just now in her mind, and her heart clatters noisily down to her gut when she realizes just _who_ that nickname is supposed to belong to.

“No thanks to _you_ ,” is Riddle Rosehearts’s harsh response.

Floyd giggles, obviously delightful at facing Riddle’s ire. “Awww~ Don’t be like that, Goldfish! You could get wrinkles! Oh, but wait, can goldfishes even _get_ wrinkles?”

A sudden buzzing sound vibrates into her eardrums and, a mix of courageous and intrigued, she turns to peek around Jade’s body.

_Uh-oh_ , she thinks, because there’s RIddle whose neck is beginning to become a shade as lovely as a rose’s.

However, before an incident could occur in the courtyard that was she assigned to _clean_ for fuck’s sake, it appears that the people in charge of their respective dorm’s damage control quickly takes action.

After placing a hand on Floyd’s arm, Jade leans in close to his brother and reminds him, “We still have to report to Azul before class.”

Though she can’t quite see Floyd’s face from where she’s at, Erika is able to distinguish the way his shoulders slump as if disappointed by the news given to him.

On the other side of the equilibrium, two very familiar Heartslabyul seniors are trying their best to placate their Dorm Head.

“Riddle! We still have classes to get to! It would be terrible if we missed our first ones!” Cater Diamond hurriedly mentions, both of his hands hovering, but not quite touching, over his Dorm Head’s right shoulder.

Trey Clover nods in agreement. “Cater has a point, Riddle. It’d be bad if we missed classes on our first day. We have to set a good example for the first-year students,” he reminds in a calm and soothing voice.

Their words appear to leave some impact, because the redness to Riddle’s face gradually recedes until he’s back to his normal skin tone.

“You’re right,” Riddle agrees after a moment, his lips tightening into a straight line. “We shouldn’t start the day like this nor waste our time so inefficiently,” he reckons. Then, he turns to the Leech brothers, a distinctly cold shadow falling over his eyes. “Where is your Dorm Head?”

At the inquiry, Jade steps up, moving in front of his brother and partially blocking him. “Somewhere,” is his vague answer. “Why the sudden question? Would you, perhaps, want to arrange a meeting with him, Dorm head Riddle?”

Riddle instantly scoffs at that. “Not in this lifetime, Jade,” is his direct answer. “Shouldn’t you and your brother be in Class 2-C by now?” He asks with a raise of his brow and a hand on his hip. “It’s a strange sight to see the two of you without Azul so early in the morning.”

Floyd is the one who answers this time, boldly stepping in line with his brother. “Why? Want to get rid of us so soon, Gold~fish?” He croons.

Riddle’s eyes narrow, an unamused expression painting his features and giving him a clear answer.

The two remain locked in some sort of mental battle for a brief moment and, surprisingly enough, it’s Floyd that breaks the contact as he turns around with a pout evident on his lips.

“Fi~ne,” he drones out, before he angles his head so that he’s able to easily meet his brother’s eyes. “We’ll go to class. Right, Jade?” 

Jade smiles pleasantly enough, hiding the rows of equally sharp teeth as his brother has behind his own lips.

“Of course, Floyd. We mustn’t keep Azul waiting,” he agrees. “Goodbye, Riddle. Cater-senpai. Trey-senpai.”

Erika feels a heavy load lift itself off of her when she watches the two of them walk away, and allows herself to pat herself on the back for surviving this fuck-up of an interaction with the infamous Leech brothers.

This relief, however, lasts for only a handful of seconds when the two of them suddenly come to a synchronous stop.

To her utter horror, the both of them turn to look over their shoulder—Floyd over his right, and Jade over his left—and she knows very well that they’re both looking at her.

“See you again, fishy!” Floyd bids to her, waving exuberantly at her, and he’s soon followed by Jade’s scarily pleasant, “I hope we’ll have the opportunity to host another friendly chat in the future.”

A shudder wracks its way down her spine when the two of them smile at her in their own different ways, the only thing in common between those smiles being the bit of flesh-wrenching teeth they show to her.

She feels thrice as worse than before as she watches them walk away.

_...Maybe I should have stuck to cleaning those fucking statues_ , she sobs, hugging the broom's handle to her chest and pretending that it’s a large stuffed plushie to somehow comfort herself.

“And you.”

Almost robotically, Erika curiously turns her head when she hears Riddle speak up once more.

She blinks when she realizes that he’s looking right at her, apparently having referred to her, and tentatively points her index finger at herself.

Riddle sighs heavily at her reaction, a hand coming up to rest on his forehead in order to massage the temple there.

Bemused, Erika turns her gaze to Cater and Trey, looking for an answer.

Worryingly enough, the two of them are looking at her in what appears to be panic.

Before she could positively kowtow and apologize for whatever it is that she’s done(?!), Riddle interrupts her off.

“You should return to your dormitory at once and change back into the proper uniform,” is what Riddle says of all things, and she can’t quite wrap her head around with where he’s trying to go with this. “It is unbefitting for a student to go to class in their gym attire, especially when all classes concerning PE are scheduled to occur tomorrow,” he says, slowly, as if she wouldn’t get it unless he spoke that way.

Very slowly, she looks down at her comfy grey shirt. The one that Crowley had given to her. The one that he’d taken from the school’s store, according to him.

_Ah_ , she realizes.

Tentatively, she raises her head to look back at Riddle.

She opens her mouth and, as carefully and politely as she can lest she set-off his infamous temper, explains, “I’m not a student here.”

She fearfully wonders if she should have called him sir at the end.

She shoves that thought down the drain because _no_. No, no, no. That would be fucking weird.

Riddle, along with Trey and Cater, blink at her words.

“Come again?” Trey asks, his brows raised high to better emphasize his slightly wider eyes. “Not a student?” 

She nods, then gestures to herself in general because, well, it should be obvious enough _why_ she hadn’t been accepted to become a student here.

“Then...why are you here then?” Trey continues, his eyebrows lowering until they’re furrowed just above his eyes.

It’s not only him, though. Even Riddle and Cater have their brows drawn together.

All three of them look so terribly confused by her presence; however, by the way the color of their eyes suddenly dim, it appears that they’re perceiving her in a suddenly different light.

A _threatening_ light, goddammit.

“I’m actually a handyman,” she elaborates as quickly as she can before any of them could use their Unique Magic on her. She does _not_ want a heavy collar around her neck, multiple copies of the same person pinning her down, the air around her suddenly turning into chains, or all three at once happening to her, thank you very fucking much. “The Headmaster hired me for the time being, before he sends me home.”

“You?” Cater is the one to first speak up after her reveal. He looks her up and down for a moment, and she feels a little insulted there that, yeah, she didn’t exactly _look_ like your typical repairman, but she sure as hell can finish any job given to her so long as she puts her mind to it!

“Yes,” she confirms, their staring honestly becoming uncomfortable for her. “Um, if it’s alright with you guys, can I go back to cleaning…?” She asks, looking away and at the hedges that, thankfully, don’t appear to need any trimming.

As if snapped out of a spell, the three of them blink and share a few secretive looks that increasingly unnerve her.

Finally, Riddle turns to face her once more. “Of course. I apologize for keeping you away from your work,” he says, and it shocks her that he _apologized_ for such a thing. “Trey, Cater, come. We should head off to class now.”

Trey smiles warmly at Riddle. “You’re right,” he easily agrees.

However, the other of the pair isn’t quite so acquiescing 

“Oh! Wait one moment!” Cater suddenly exclaims, catching all by surprise. Then, even more surprisingly, he walks a couple of steps towards her until their chests are just a foot apart. 

Confused, she grips her broom even tighter as she looks up at Cater, making sure not to stare _too_ deeply into those Paris green eyes of his.

“Is it alright if I ask for your name? I’m afraid it slipped from my mind after the entrance ceremony, ehe!” He winks with a grin on his face and—

_Oh my gosh,_ she thinks, staring at _the_ Cater Diamond, in the flesh, posing with his famously signature peace sign held up close to his face. _Hvejncxmhbfcn_ , goes her mind, the very sight literally too strong for her to handle. 

Dazedly, she mumbles out of her name.

“Erika…” Cater parrots, testing the name on his tongue. “Huh. Just Erika? What about your last name?” He asks with a tilt of his head.

The way his smile curls a bit too widely, the edges of which looking impossibly warmer and sharper at the same time, harshly snaps her out of her stupefaction and she suddenly remembers that Cater, despite his easy-going and peppy personality, is _much more_ than that.

With that in mind, Erika...can hardly trust that smile. 

“You can call me Erika,” she offers, uncomfortable with the very notion of sharing her last name because, well, was it really any of his business? Why did he have to know it so badly? “And, uhm, you are?” She asks, feigning curiosity in a bid to change the topic and also—isn’t that what she’s supposed to do?

Pretend that she’s never met them before? Or, at the very least, pretend that they’re not the game characters she’d cried salt over whenever she failed to roll for them during their pick-up days?

“Oh.” Cater’s brows rise at the question, but he immediately smoothens out his features into a delightful expression. “I’m Cater Diamond! But you can just call me Cater-kun or even Cate-kun~❤︎.” Then, he gestures to his two other companions. “And these two are my dormmates! We’re from the Heartslabyul Dorm, by the way,” he informs her as a matter-of-fact.

“Cater and I are third-year students,” continues Trey, taking his cue to speak up after Cater had given them a prelude to hop on. “I’m Trey. Trey Clover. It’s nice to meet you, Erika,” he offers after a brief introduction, smiling harmlessly at her. 

Riddle narrows his piercingly silver eyes at her the very minute her gaze lands on him, but he nevertheless introduces himself. “I am Riddle Rosehearts, the Dorm Head of Heartslabyul and a second-year student. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

Erika nods slowly once they’re all done, pretending to appear as if she were cataloging their names and faces in her mind. 

“It’s nice to meet the three of you,” she politely returns with a small incline of her head. “I, erm, hope you have a good time in class,” is all she’s able to offer, forcing herself to smile even if the corners tremble ever so slightly.

Riddle stares at her, long enough that a cold sweat breaks out at the back of her neck, before he nods in response. 

Erika watches the three of them pass by her as they walk off. Cater waves goodbye at her with a pleasant smile on his face whereas Trey only nods in her general direction; Riddle, on the other hand, doesn’t even look back once as he leads the way into one of the corridors branching into the courtyard.

It is only when they are truly gone does she realize how eerily quiet the courtyard is with only her in there.

“The students must be in their classrooms by now…” She murmurs to herself before she grips the handle of her broom with renewed vigor and proceeds to broom the pathway once more.

As much as she wants to freak out and panic over what the consequences of her _'let's stray from canon!'_ decision had led to, she can do that later—preferably in a bathroom, hopefully one of Ramshackle Dorm’s. 

She has, after all, a courtyard to clean.

When she’d finished brooming what she can, she’s a tad bit soaked in her sweat but there’s hardly she can about that. 

She looks up at the sun that is _definitely_ brighter now than it had been before, the sun’s rays giving off a heat that is more uncomfortable than soothing, and she belatedly wonders where on Earth is Grim.

“He should have been back by now,” she murmurs, looking at the corridor where Grim had scurried off to.

A very unsettling feeling makes itself home in her stomach.

She hopes nothing bad had happened...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *diligently researching how the characters interact with one another*
> 
> Also me: Haha MC’s problems go brrr. 
> 
> Common Name: Philippine Forest Turtle


	24. Ptilinopus occipitalis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All my efforts, she thinks with an empty space occupying the inside of her heart. Wasted. 

The one thing that she’d tried her very best to avoid, well, to put it mildly, _happened_.

She makes herself very aware of this fact as she stands in the Headmaster’s office with Grim sticking close to her legs and, unfortunately enough, an infuriatingly familiar student next to her.

A student that she’d tried so _very_ hard to avoid, just so she could bypass the plot trying to drag her in with its greedy and merciless claws.

_All my efforts_ , she thinks with an empty space occupying the inside of her heart. _Wasted_. 

To think, she even had to go through a mix of unexpected interactions with the Leech brothers and the Heartslabyul seniors.

_Fucking wasted_ , she repeats in her head but with a distinctly bitter taste on her tongue.

She’s only brought out of her miserable reverie when Crowley finally finishes catching his breath and begins his second round of lecturing.

“Didn’t I just tell you yesterday to _not_ cause any trouble?!” Crowley screeches, the pitch of his voice reverberating through the room in a way that makes her eardrums _ring_. “But no! You go way beyond that! Not only did I receive numerous reports from various professors about you barging into their classrooms for a second without an apology, but you also got into a fight a student and the both of you charred the Queen of Hearts’ statue!” He booms, holding his hands out and shaking them to show how outraged he is over the situation.

Grim clings even harder to her legs, and she feels a bit of his claws through the fabric of her jogging pants.

She can’t help shrinking into herself when Crowley turns to face her, his eye lights definitely smaller than before but no less brighter than usual.

“And you,” Crowley directs to her. “Weren’t you supposed to look after Grim?” He asks.

She flinches and mumbles out an apology.

Crowley merely sighs at her response with an added shake of his head. 

Then, he turns to the sole student in the room.

“You, what’s your name and grade?” Crowley asks with a tap of his cane on the carpet.

The student snaps to attention at that, his gaze flying from her and Grim to Crowley.

“Ace Trappola, first year,” he introduces himself, trying to sound casual about the whole affair but the fact that he’s unable to look Crowley in the eye is enough to tell her that he’s just as scared as she is of the situation on hand.

Crowley tilts his head. “Hmmm, and on your first day in Night Raven College too,” he hums, cradling his chin between his fingers, obviously in deep contemplation.

Her gaze falls to Crowley’s shined shoes, and she already knows just what he’s pondering over as well as the result of it.

Crowley snaps his fingers, his eye lights briefly flickering. “Then, Trappola, as punishment for burning the statue of _your_ Dorm’s figurehead, you shall accompany Erika and Grim in washing 100 windows around the campus!” He declares, smiling ecstatically, as if no one else could make a better decision.

_Fuck_ , she thinks with a purse of her lips. She had _plans_ to go to the library, dammit. 

Grim, on the other hand, is _much_ more vocal with his objection.

“Nyaa?! Why us too?! We did nothing wrong!” He argues. “It was this joker with the stupid fire hair that started this mess!” He points at an accusing finger at Ace who snaps his head to glare at Grim.

“Haaah? What did you just call me, furball?!”

Grim hisses loudly at Ace, still clutching onto her leg; however, just before he could even think of launching herself at Ace with his claws out, Erika quickly bends over to pick up Grim and hold her close to her chest.

“Of course, Headmaster,” she obediently says. “We’ll clean those hundred windows.”

Grim jolts in her arms. “Nyargh! What are you saying, Erika?!” He demands, looking up at her with fire in his eyes.

With a sigh, she raises her hand to tug on his cheek, waiting for him to go _nyaow-nyaow-nyaow, nyaow!_ before she lets him go.

“I’m saying that we’ll accept this punishment,” is her final answer, looking down at him with a decidedly sad expression because, really, that’s how she feels.

After all, she’d wanted to go to the library to do some research on any ways to get home…

_I doubt I can do that now if I have so much to clean_ , she thinks with a sigh.

Grim must sense that she isn’t just putting up an act, for he quiets down in her arms.

“Fiiiiine,” he drawls out, slumping weakly and letting his head hang over her arms in dejection.

“Trappola?” Crowley prompts.

“...Fine,” grumbles Ace with the darkest look painting his features.

.

..

…

..

.

Some parts of her shirt that had been soaked wet by the cleaning solution sticks uncomfortably to her skin, but she ignores that in lieu of dragging the long-handled squeegee across the window’s glass surface.

She pays no heed to the curious stares sent her way, too preoccupied with getting the liquid to spread out all over the translucent stains.

Still, even as busy as she is, that hardly means that she doesn’t keep a careful eye on Grim.

Fortunately for her, when she checks for the umpteenth time in the past half-hour, Grim is still sitting atop one of the dining tables in the cafeteria, munching on _her_ share of the sandwiches after having finished his own minutes ago.

Her stomach grumbles in complaint, angered that an unhelpful magical creature had stolen the majority of her lunch, and she gives her body an internal and lengthy apology.

“Oi,” she calls out, probably startling a few people who’d dared to venture close to the new janitor lady and the flaming-cat-dog-whatever. “Can you at least save one for me? I need to eat too!”

Grim apparently doesn’t hear her, too obsessed with his ranting to pay attention to his background.

“I can’t believe the nerve of that guy!” Grim redundantly complains for the—she briefly runs the numbers in her head— _fourth_ time, bread crumbs littered upon the fur of his cheek. “Erika, you have to believe me! It really wasn’t my fault! That bastard started it!” He growls lowly then proceeds to stuff his cheeks full with another sandwich.

Seeing that her supposed helper is completely uninterested in actually _helping_ her, she sighs and drops her squeegee in its bucket.

“What really happened?” She asks, just to humor him so they can _really_ start cleaning because she doubts Ace would come to help them so why wait for him?

He’d planned to ditch them in the canon prologue, so why would he do otherwise this time?

Grim looks down at his furry feet as he rubs his paws together in an almost nervous manner. “I got...lost,” he eventually admits.

Her brows rise at that. “You got...lost?” Impossible. She’d repeated the directions so many times until she’d made sure he knew the way. _“How?”_

“I, nyerm, forgot,” he umbles out, his pitchforked-tail coming up to feebly hide his face.

She stares at him through the spaces between his tail, completely in disbelief. “You had a _map_ , Grim,” she points out. “One that you burned in that fight of yours.”

Grim dejectedly lowers his gaze. He mutters something that she could barely hear and, when she sits down in front of him, he furtively shakes his head and says, “Nevermind that! Anyways, yeah. I accidentally got out of the building and arrived in that road with the, ugh, Great Seven.”

“Hmm,” she hums in acknowledgment, her hunger getting the best of her now, and she reaches out for her last sandwich. She gently swats Grim’s tail away when he tries to shield it from her.

The bread is slightly cold against her tongue, the tuna even more so, but she hasn’t eaten since, like, that morning and fucking hell is she _starving_.

“And, okay! That Ace guy came up to me, and I thought he pretty swell at first, y’know? ‘Cause he began introducing who the statues were!” Grime exclaims, getting up to tread a path on the table before her. “I thought of making him my lackey, but then!” He dramatically stops, looking back at her to make sure she’s listening attentively. “That Ace dude is actually a total bastard! He called me a raccoon and a bunch of other names! He also said I should go back to elementary and—”

At this point, Erika just zones it out, easily guessing what could have happened.

_This was what I wanted to avoid_ , she internally sighs, looking at the windows she has to clean.

She’s broken out of her train of thought when something swats her in the face.

“But, Erika!” Grim protests, his tail—the culprit—moving away from her face. “I swear! I didn’t attack him first!” He loudly promises. “That bastard just picked me up by the scrunch of my neck, so of course I had to free myself” He says, resolute that he’s in the right.

Erika hums in response to that.

Then, she reaches out to grasp his tail, and Grim immediately freezes.

“Frankly,” she starts, gently running her thumb across the smooth and velvety fur there. “I don’t care which of you was truly at fault,” she tells him, as if it was their own little secret, and smiles.

There is nothing warm about it.

“From my perspective, _both_ of you are at fault,” she tells him firmly, letting go of his tail and watching as Grim hugged it protectively against his chest. She sighs heavily at that and reaches around his head to safely scratch his ears without getting burned by his flames, her own silent apology. “That student shouldn’t have provoked you, yes, but you also shouldn’t have continued to fight that minute you escaped from him,” she explains.

Grim juts out his lower jaw, eyes rounding.

She huffs and moves her scratching to merely patting his head.

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t do well defending yourself,” Erika acknowledges, because, yeah, that was still the right thing to do. “But you also could have come running to me if there was a problem. Didn’t I just tell you that back in the courtyard?”

Grim narrows his eyes. “It was a little hard in the heat of the moment!” He yells at her, a bit of smoke curling around his mouth, but a full-body stroke eventually clears that out. “And where is that Ace dude?! He should have been here hours ago!” He complains.

“There, there,” she tells him, patting him comfortably on the back.

Grim turns his fiery gaze to her. “What are you comforting me for?! You’re the one who’s cleaning the windows!” He says, clearly trying to goad her into agreeing with him.

“You could help me clean, you know,” is her nonchalant reply to him, but it appears her words just go over his head because, instead of offering to help her, he gets a whole other idea.

“Aha!” Grim says, slamming his pitchforked tail on the table in triumph. His eyes glow in a way as if a light bulb in his head had just switched on. “You know what? Why don’t we go look for him? We can't just let him slip by, unpunished!” Grim growls.

Erika frowns, not particularly liking his idea.

“No thanks,” she mercilessly shuts down, just thinking of the consequences if they went down _that_ path. “If he doesn’t want to clean, we can always report it to Crowley, and he can handle it,” she suggests.

It’s the simpler alternative that avoids the infinite amount of problems that comes after hunting down Ace.

“Nyargh, that guy?!” Grim exclaims, looking at her in disbelief. “I doubt he’ll do anything about it!” He says. “You know what? I’m gonna go look for him!” Grim commands, and dashes off before she could even grab the back of his neck.

She watches him scamper off, feeling a sense of dread cool in her gut, but there’s hardly anything she could do about it now.

_I doubt he’d be able to find Ace by himself…_ She thinks, but there’s barely any conviction in her words. She vaguely remembers Grim being able to sniff her out as he'd chased after her when she’d first come here, just yesterday, and already a cold sweat beads on the back of her neck.

“You know what,” Erika mutters, picking up the tissue paper she’d used to wrap their sandwiches. She shoves them in her pocket to throw for later and stands up from her seat. “Optimistic thoughts, Erika. Optimistic thoughts,” she murmurs to herself.

She goes back to the bucket with her squeegee sticking out, waiting for her, and she resumes her cleaning.

She does this for a few more minutes, an anxious feeling bubbling up at the back of her throat, and she eventually drops the squeegee in the bucket, feeling worse off than earlier.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit,” she mutters as she pulls the rag from her pants and begins wiping the cleaning solution from the window before dropping it in the bucket as well.

It takes little more for her to convince herself that leaving Grim alone for the _second time_ is a foolish idea, and she immediately rushes after him in the direction he’d scampered off to because—

_Who knows what else will get charred?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wwww MC is learning 👏
> 
> Common Name: Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove


	25. Gallicolumba luzonica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because honestly?
> 
> Fuck Ace and Grim.
> 
> Let the Headmaster scare them a bit.

As she sprints through numerous empty hallways in search of Grim, she hastily sticks her hand down her shirt, rummages for a bit, and eventually tugs out her cellphone from within the confines of her re-used bra.

She quickly unlocks it with a simple face recognition. Once her home screen appears, she quickly opens the app for Twisted Wonderland, vaguely remembering that one of the chapters had detailed Ace’s whereabouts and to where Grim could possibly be heading off to now.

It takes her dashing down two whole flights of stairs for the game to load, and she silently curses herself when her fingers briefly fumble over the controls. She quickly accesses the _Story_ section and flies through the chapters of the prologue until she hits the eleventh one.

The opening sequence of this particular chapter is familiar, just preluding to where Grim and the protagonist had just caught Ace.

_This is it!_ She cheers, quickly tapping through the screen in order to obtain the dialogue that would give her the clue.

_“Ahhh, I know him_ ,” mutely says the wall in the portrait, a character of her game. Its words are revealed in digital text that appears within the dialogue, its voice lines unheard since she’d muted her phone as a precaution. “ _He’s one of the freshmen that just enrolled, right? I heard him mutter something about going back to his dorm when he passed by here…”_

With hope a fluttering thing in her chest, she quickly tucks her phone back into the underside of her bra.

In her hurry to hide the one thing she has left of her world, she doesn’t quite notice the person coming around the corner until she bumps into them.

“Oof—” is what involuntarily comes out of her mouth, and she manages to catch herself just in time with a firm step back. 

With an impatient clock ticking in her head, Erika immediately opens her mouth, intending to apologize, but her eyes accidentally lock onto a very bushy and fluffy-looking tail.

It takes a second for her to recognize that black-tipped and white-furred tail. 

It takes another for her mind to connect that tail with its owner.

Robotically, she raises her head up, up, and _up_ until her eyes meet a sharp and piercing pair of gold ones.

_Ah_ , she thinks and her mind, in a dark twist of humor, conjures that one Simpson meme of _I’m in danger_.

In contrast to her wide-eyed stare, Jack Howl(?!) is outright glaring at her.

“I—” is all that she’s able to muster, her feet frozen to the ground. 

However, as opposed to what she’d initially expected and briefly reenacted in her head, Jack merely takes a step back from her, widening the distance between the two of them.

“Are you alright?” He asks, his gaze lowering to ascertain if she’d probably gotten any sort of injury. “I was in a rush and I wasn’t looking where I was going so, ugh...” He awkwardly trails off then averts his gaze.

When Jack begins to rub the back of his neck, she snaps herself out of her internal shock.

“O-Oh! No, no, no!” She quickly protests, waving her hands in front of her to give better emphasis to her words. “It’s my fault too! I wasn’t watching where I was going! Uhm, sorry,” she apologizes.

Jack looks back at with raised brows, softening his glare— _natural piercing look_ , she amends once she has her wits again and remembers that it was Jack's default character style to always look as if he was glaring even though he didn't always intend to.

She notices, though, how his furry ears stand a bit taller than before.

Speaking of furry ears…

“Uhm, excuse me,” she speaks up, pinning her gaze down to his shoulder because any higher than that would make the churning in her guts worse. “But do you know where I can find the Hall of Mirrors?”

Jack blinks at her, obviously caught off guard by her question. The slit pupils of his starkly gold eyes contract, but he eventually gestures to the window with a jut of his chin. 

“That building over there. You can find the Hall of Mirrors on the fourth floor,” is his clipped explanation.

Her gaze flies to the window and she spots the building that he’d just mentioned.

_Oh_ , she thinks, before she turns to Jack and inclines her head. “Thank you so much,” she tells him before she dashes past him and towards the nearest exit that she knows of.

She hears him call out to her in surprise, but she apologizes to him in her mind because she truly has other and much more important matters to take care of.

_Grim!!!_

.

..

…

..

.

It takes a while for her to arrive in the building where the Hall of Mirrors is supposed to be, and even longer for her to reach the floor level of her destination.

Her thighs burn might as well be on fire by the time she makes it up to the fourth floor by stairs alone, the bones in them feeling more like jelly than good old collagen and calcium phosphate.

_Why aren’t there any elevators here?!_ She can’t believe that a school _this_ fancy doesn’t have any elevators! Or, like, some kind of magical circle or contraption to teleport the students from floor to floor!

Practically close to tears at this point, she makes a harsh turn to the right when the hallway splits and, in her haste, she once again doesn’t notice that there’s another person turning that very same corner until it’s too late.

The only difference is that, this time, she fails to catch herself soon enough.

The result of their painful collision sends the two of them tumbling to the ground in a mess of limbs with her shouldering most of the impact by her poor ass and the other person ungracefully splaying atop of her in a useless heap. 

“Guck—!” Involuntarily comes out of her mouth at the added and very much unexpected weight of another person on her.

_What the fuck_ , she thinks with a wince and she soon snaps her head down in order to glare at the idiotic human dumbbell on her.

_“Shit,”_ is the first word that slips out of her mouth when she catches sight of a head full of messy dark orange hair.

The root of her problems doesn’t appear to hear her, apparently too busy digging his face into her stomach, but he must realize that he hadn’t hit the ground as he’d feared when he slowly raises it.

She catches him staring at her clothed stomach before he raises his eyes to meet her very wide-eyed gaze.

Ace blinks. “You—”

She’d have listened more; really, she would have, but a sudden buzzing in her hear makes her look up at the source where—

Without even thinking about it, she wraps her legs around Ace’s torso and rolls the both of them off to the side, narrowly dodging the large and presumably heavy cauldron that plummets to the ground right where they’d been.

“Oi, wha—” Whatever Ace was gonna say dies in his throat when he takes a long and good look at what had just slammed down beside them. The way his eyes grow to the size of dinner plates would have been amusing in any other situation.

_You’re welcome_ , she sarcastically thinks in her mind, her heart hammering at a drastic rate and her heavy breathing a consequence of such.

“What the hell?!” Exclaims Ace, attempting to sit up but failing since, well, she’s still sitting on the majority of his torso. “Guh!” Comes out of his mouth when he falls back down.

_Oof_. She winces but then remembers that _she’s_ the cause of that oof.

“Oh God, I’m _so_ sorry,” she swiftly apologizes, moving to get off of him—

“NO!”

A sudden shout makes her falter, resulting in her losing enough of her balance that she instinctively plops herself back on Ace for her own safety.

“Urk!” Ace coughs out, his limbs shooting flailing out at the extra weight suddenly returning with a vengeance.

When she looks over her shoulder, she sees Grim and a student— _Deuce Spade_ , her increasingly horrified mind registers—running towards them.

“Keep him down, Erika!” Grim commands her. “That bastard was planning to skip on cleaning duty!” He tells her as he skids to a stop before her and makes it a point to bare his canines Ace.

  
  


“...Cleaning duty?” Inquires Deuce as his feet halts before them.

“Yeah!” Grim furiously nods his head, keeping his glare on Ace who’s still struggling to recover. “That feathery ordered the three of us to clean 100 windows, and this idiot tries to skip!”

“Feathery guy…? Ah, the headmaster.” Deuce nods, looking proud at making the connection, but he suddenly looks at all three of them in disbelief as he shouts, “100 windows?! Just what in the world did you guys do?!”

When neither Grim nor Ace give him an answer, Erika takes it upon herself to squeal out their crimes.

Without even hesitating, she points an accusing finger at Grim.

“These two.” Here, she slides her finger through the air to point at Ace. “Burned the Queen of Hearts’ statue.”

Deuce’s eyes widen at the admission. “You damaged one of the Great Seven’s statues?!” He looks to be in a panic by the way he physically rears back, but then his gaze actually focuses on her, and this time his wide eyes go round. “You—” He chokes on his own words, unable to finish whatever he’d been about to say.

She blinks and tilts her head at his reaction.

_Huh._

However, before she could so much as ask him what’s wrong, the sudden and painful poke to her stomach makes her jerk away, and she immediately looks down at Ace who’s now glaring up at her.

“Do you mind?!” Ace rhetorically questions, both of his furrowed deeply atop his red eyes.

She flinches, because, yeah, she’s _still_ sitting on him. Not wanting to risk Ace’s ire aimed towards her, she immediately stumbles off of him despite Grim clawing at her pants in protest.

“Geez,” mutters Ace once he’s up on his feet and rubbing his torso. “Way to make a pancake out of me, will ya?” He sneers at her.

She flushes a bright red at his comment. 

Not of embarrassment, oh no. She still has _some_ modicum of pride. 

A flicker of irritation ignites within her chest, like a preluding spark to a wildfire, and she narrows her eyes at him.

“Watch where you’re going then,” she snaps as she hefts herself off of the floor and strokes her poor aching butt. _Poor me_ , she internally pats herself on the back. “And don’t think I forgot about you _skipping_ your punishment,” she adds, glaring up at him.

She must look like a sight for sore eyes—her hair in disarray from within its confines of a cheap rubber band, her shirt with several wet areas, and her jogging pants littered with a few holes at the bottom courtesy of Grim’s claws. 

Ace narrows his eyes at her, mouth opening with what is most likely a scathing response, but he’s cut off by Deuce.

“You were running away from punishment?” Deuce asks with both of his brows raised high. “And you were just gonna go back to our dorm after what you did to our dorm’s statue?” He briefly looks impressed before a disappointed expression paints his features. “For a student as irresponsible as you to get into this prestigious school…”

Ace immediately switches his attention to Deuce at the snide comment. 

“Shuddup!” Retorts Ace, before he frowns in confusion. “Who are you, anyway?”

Deuce returns the frown with one of his own. “I’m Deuce. Deuce Spade. Would it hurt to remember your own classmates’ faces at least?” He sighs with a shake of his head, before his blinks. “Um…”

Erika tunes out of their conversation at that, feeling much too perturbed at the sudden remembrance of this unbelievable reality she’d awoken to.

_I should probably get back to cleaning_ , she thinks, not even considering to ask for Ace’s help because he’d only anger Grim and probably damage another—

She snaps her head up in realization.

After looking around for a glimpse of a certain flame-eared cretin, she comes up with nothing.

_Fuck_.

A certain buzzing sound reverberates in her ears, but it’s soon drowned out by the sound of a slam and Ace’s suddenly yell of,

“Agh! That dumb cat!” 

Almost robotically, Erika turns her head to see Ace angrily staring out of the window, his gaze pinned on a small grey dot dashing out of the building and into the road.

_Grim_ , she belatedly recognizes. 

“He left me to take his place!” Ace glowers, before he snaps head to look at Deuce, a contemplative gleam in his eyes. “Hey, umm, Juice, right?”

Deuce jerks away as if hit. “Juice?! Who the hell is that?! It’s Deuce! De-u-ce,” he annunciates.

Ace rolls his eyes, a mutter of. “Can you believe this guy,’ falling off of his lips before he changes his tune. “It’s because of you that the furball ran away! So you better help me catch it!”

Deuce blinks. “Eh? Why me?”

Without even a moment of pause, Ace gestures to her with a shake of his hand. “Do you honestly think this deadweight could be of any help?” He snorts, and the brunt of those words hits her like a freight train. “C’mon, let’s go!” He doesn’t even bother to wait for Deuce’s response; instead, he immediately takes off sprinting in order to close the distance between them and Grim.

Deuce’s gaze flickers uncertainly to her own, the bright hue of its teal a shock to her.

Yet, she doesn’t have the conscience to maintain eye contact any further because—

_Fuck. Ace_.

“Cafeteria,” she instantly tells Deuce who jolts at the unexpected word. “Grim’s gonna head to the cafeteria,” she elaborates just in case he wouldn’t get it.

And he still doesn’t, judging by the crease between his brows.

Hesitantly, she reaches out to nudge his shoulder.

“Go,” she urges. “I’ll follow. Just go,” she practically _orders_ , and feels somewhat baffled by the fact that she’d just commanded one of the main cast

He does, but not without one last backward glance at her, and Erika watches him run off, his long legs taking him distances farther than her own could.

Seeing that there’s nobody but her in the hallway, she sneaks her hand down into her shirt and brings out her phone in order to check the time. 

Just a little past three.

She puts it back eventually and stretches her arms over her head, taking pleasure in the way her back lets out an audible _crack_ at the movement.

Once she knows she’s ready, she begins making her way out of the building in a leisurely manner, clearly taking her time.

Because honestly?

Fuck Ace and Grim.

Let the Headmaster scare them a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, whenever I write Jack’s name or think about him, I always pronounce it as Jack-ku instead of plain out Jack xD. The TW voiced lines have ruined me.
> 
> hbivrjmxk I'm an Ace-stan so writing an OC-insert that initially doesn't like him pains me :'>
> 
> Common Name: Luzon Bleeding-Heart


	26. Carlito syrichta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She waits, anxiously counting up to seven in her mind, and inhales sharply
> 
> Grim isn’t moving.

By the time she arrives at the floor where the cafeteria should be, Erika is able to admit that maybe, just _maybe_ , she’d hadn’t been thinking all that reasonably.

But still— _Fuck Ace and Grim._

“I didn’t even do anything wrong,” she mutters as she half-walks and half-stomps over to where she remembers the cafeteria being. “And did you even see me complaining when I fucking picked up your piece of shit chores?” She grumbles. “But noooo, instead of picking up a goddamn broom like anybody with a conscience would, you chicken nuggets just decided to run off like a bunch of uncultured swine…”

_Hope you guys go and break the fucking chandelier again and get roasted by Crowley_ , she thinks with a vengeance, well aware how affected she is with the heat or her emotions.

But really—wasn’t it just fair?

A part of her feels bad for getting Deuce in the scuffle, but _somebody_ had to toss Ace into that chandelier and she didn’t exactly have the thought process to think of a better alternative.

She’s hungry, she’s sleepy, and she’s _tired_ —the perfect ingredients to creating the perfect concoction called _irritation_.

She reaches out, her hand wrapping around the warm metal of the door’s handle, and she’s just a second away from pulling it open when a sudden and destructively loud crashing sound thunders from within the room, the force of which enough to send ripples of shockwaves through the ground that uproariously vibrate beneath the soles of her shoes. 

She freezes, her heartbeat instinctively picking up in rate to the point that she can hear it go _thump thump thump_ in her ears in a matter of minutes.

She belatedly registers what the hell could have happened.

_The chandelier_ , she thinks in muted horror, and immediately her heart comes to a sudden stop before clattering noisily into her gut.

From within the room, she can hear various students yelling out in panic with some belting out cheers even through the thick wood of the doors.

_Oh God_ , she thinks, torn between whether she should take a few steps back or finally open the door to confront the situation.

Amidst her confusion and terror, an intricate strand of _fear_ worms its way into her heart, wrapping itself several times until it has the organ firmly within its grasp; before she knows it, she’s _drowning_ in that one emotion because—

Why had she ever thought this was a good idea?”

With what courage she had wrung from her spirit, Erika chooses the more foolhardy option and flings the doors open.

She flinches when the crowd of people nearest to the entrance glance back at her, their gazes visibly lingering on her, the anomaly amongst them, but she pushes down her fright in favor of squeezing her way through the crowd so as to get to the front as soon as she can.

Several “excuse me”s and “I’m sorry”s fly freely from her lips as she works her way through the stubborn horde of people.

She eventually reaches the front, a loud breath of relief casting itself out of her mouth the minute she has room for her elbows to bend, and takes one good look at the situation that had just transpired.

Everything is exactly as it had been depicted in the game.

Only this time, it’s happening before her very eyes and somehow, in some way, that just makes it all _worse_. 

“I-I screwed up!” Deuce exclaims from the bare center of the throng, his hands trembling as they hover over the shattered chandelier. There's an indisputably terror-stricken expression spread out across his features as he stands there, on the floor, where all around his feet are sparkling crystals strewn about in an unmakeable pattern and glimmering in a mockingly pretty way.

On the other side of the wreck is Ace, the majority of his legs splayed out over the edge of the chandelier as he lays on the floor.

There’s a distinctly dazed look on his face as he stares up at the ceiling with bleary eyes; for a brief moment, she fears that he might have gotten a concussion since his head is on the ground.

Fortunately enough, that doesn’t appear to be the case, for Ace suddenly snaps his eyes wide open, as if having just come to his senses.

She watches as he tries to carefully untangle his legs from the chandelier, but each movement he makes only jostles the broken chandelier and sends even more crystals falling to the ground.

She covers her mouth, absolutely horrified, but the sickening sensation budding in her chest only grows more insistently when she spots a certain ball of grey fur tucked tightly against Ace’s chest.

She waits, anxiously counting up to seven in her mind, and inhales sharply.

_Grim isn’t moving_.

Despite there being a crowd of students standing around and making a spectacle of the current circumstances unfolding, Erika rushes out into the very center of the room with a cry stuck somewhere in her throat.

The distinct _thud thud thud_ of her shoes immediately enraptures the attention of the two Heartslabyul students, but she ignores theirs and everyone else’s gazes in favor of heading straight to Ace.

_“Grim,”_ she’s finally able to get out of her mouth, her hands hovering uncertainly over the clearly unresponsive animal before she decides _fuck it_ and proceeds to take him from Ace’s arms.

Despite the firm grip he’d had on Grim, Ace surprisingly enough releases him into her care.

As she cradles the magical creature close to her chest, Erika gingerly strokes his head, noting that the flames in his ears are still burning as strong as they normally would and in that bright shade of blue.

She doesn’t know what that means.

“Grim?” She murmurs, caressing that one spot just above the area between his eyes. Her touch trails down to his furry chest, where his heart should be, and she's relieved to not only find a pulse there but also the rise and fall of his breath. “Grim, can you open your eyes for me?” She asks, ignoring the makings of a commotion behind her as the two Heartslabyul boys lock themselves into a particularly loud argument over the ruined chandelier.

Just as she’s on the verge of descending into a panic because _fuck_ she’d just incapacitated one of the main cast without even encountering a _single_ overblot situation, she’s brought back to reality when Grim suddenly stirs in her arms.

She watches with bated breath as Grim languorously opens his eyes, his usually slit pupils worryingly dilated to the point that the blue of his eyes have been swallowed up by its black.

“Ffnyaaaaa…?” Grim moans out, his head lolling from left to right as if he’s unable to recompose his sense of gravity.

“Grim?” She whispers, making sure to keep her voice low so as to not furtherly disorient him. “C’mon, stay with me. Keep your eyes open, c’mon.”

Still, despite her soft words, Grim continues to unsteadily sway his head as if in a trance.

_Shit, wait, I have to lay him down_ , she thinks, her reasoning coming back to her at that instant, and she wildly looks around for any available space.

The floor is obviously a no go, seeing that the remnants of the chandelier are scattered all over and who knows what could pierce into Grim’s body if she laid him there.

Her gaze slides over to a relatively empty dining table and she immediately zooms towards it, pointedly ignoring everyone’s gazes on her because _now is not the time!_

Hastily, she pushes aside the near-empty plates that had been set there, making sure that Grim has enough area to lay upon before she puts him on the wood.

“Elevation, elevation, elevation,” she mutters beneath her breath, her hands moving to Grim’s feet, but she pauses when she realizes—

How will she even elevate his feet?

She looks down at herself—dressed in only a pathetic T-shirt and jogging pants combo with nothing to spare unless she found the resolve to strip off her shirt.

_No, no, no_ , she thinks, because that is one thing far beyond her mind to be able to wrap around.

Grim makes a pitiful noise that makes her heart squeeze, and she immediately whirls around to face the two quarreling Heartslabyul students.

“Hey!” She shouts, throwing caution to the wind, and it’s evident that she’d startled Ace and Deuce, the two flinching and instantly looking her way, their argument temporarily forgotten. “Can one of you lend me your blazers? I need it for Grim!” She implores, practically close to pleading at this point.

Ace’s expression creases, obviously hesitant; Deuce, on the other hand, merely takes one look at the disoriented Grim on the table and immediately starts stripping off his blazer.

“Thank you,” she says, _meaning_ _it_ , as she accepts his article of clothing before turning around to face Grim. She makes quick work with what she has, folding the blazer just thick enough for her to slip underneath Grim’s feet and lower body so as to keep it elevated and encourage the blood flow there to gradually course into his head.

It is only when she’s fanning him in the face does she realize something crucial.

_Wait_ , she thinks, her fanning slowing down. _Grim isn’t human, so...would any of this even work?!_

She remembers that elevating the legs of the person that had fainted is one the most crucial steps right next to checking for their pulse and airway; however, if Grim had four legs, then shouldn’t she...elevate all four?

_How would I even do that?_ She thinks, just a few steps away from edging into hysterical.

She jolts to attention, though, at the moment the vacant spaces on her left and on her right are suddenly occupied.

Just as she checks, Erika blinks when she finds Ace and Deuce hovering alongside her and peering at Grim

“Oi, is he…” Ace hesitantly starts, a deep furrow between his brows and the sourest twist to his lips. It's obvious that he's struggling with his words, but she waits for him to finish. “Is he gonna be okay?” 

She pauses, not sure if she’s supposed to answer that question with sweet lies, but she doesn’t have to because the doors at the entrance suddenly fling open with a _bang_.

“Just _what_ is going on here?” 

_Fuck_ , she thinks, wishing that a black hole would just appear underneath her feet and swallow her whole right then and there.

As one, she, Deuce, and Ace look over their shoulders and blanch.

It’s _Crowley_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friendly warning to ya’ll that unless you’re a certified first-aider, do NOT attempt to alleviate any sort of serious accidental situations. Leave it up to the professionals and keep your distance if you’re able to! Of course, there are special exemptions, but that depends on the situation and I'm sure you guys know what they are.
> 
> Common Name: Philippine Tarsier or Mamuwag


	27. Dugong dugon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Eh?” She utters, turning to look at the Headmaster with wide eyes. “...Me?” She points at herself because there is no way.
> 
> No. Fucking. Way.
> 
> Shouldn’t I be exempted?! She thinks in outrage.

Crowley takes one long and hard look at the situation before him, his gaze lingering on the devastated chandelier as if taking it all in before it eventually lands on them.

A shudder wracks its way down her spine when she sees the palpable darkness in the eye holes of Crowley’s mask, the luminous eye lights that are usually there apparently having flickered out.

Even Ace and Deuce, who’s only known this man for a _day_ , stiffen up beside her, some instinctual feeling shared between them whispering into their ears that—

Crowley is _not_ happy.

Six surprisingly loud taps against the ground resound throughout the room, effectively silencing everyone.

“Everybody,” Crowley speaks up, his voice mystifyingly carrying out to all four corners of the room. “Could you all spare me a moment with them?”

Although it may sound like a request, there’s still no mistaking the underlying command to it.

And, as curious as the majority of the students are, it’s evident that the seniors with familiar enough with their headmaster to know that now’s not the time for any games— _especially_ when Crowley is smiling in a manner that is clearly not pleased.

It takes a little more than a minute for the room to clear out, the older students having to usher the younger and more inexperienced ones with little difficulty, but ultimately, they’re the only ones left.

Erika watches with her fists held firmly against her sides as Crowley nonchalantly strolls towards the remnants of the chandelier, his heels clicking audibly against the marble floor, before he comes to a stop before it.

Gingerly, Crowley raises his cane and pokes a part of the chandelier’s structure with it.

Terrifyingly enough, what little crystals hanging from the chandelier clatter noisily to the ground in a glittering shower.

Without even looking at them, Crowley asks, “I suppose the four of you had something to do with this, yes?”

She shrinks into herself, keeping her mouth shut.

Even the two next to her are quiet, unable to speak in this suffocating kind of atmosphere.

However, the next time they blink, they all rear back in shock when the Headmaster suddenly closes the gap between them and stands just a foot away from them.

The smile that had curled Crowley’s lips is now gone; instead, a deep and disappointed frown takes its place.

“I don’t know if it’s a trend amongst you, _youngsters_ , to destroy priceless artifacts,” Crowley sighs out, resorting to speaking lowly to them as opposed to the immediate screaming he’d done for the better part of that morning. “But this kind of behavior is something that I will _not_ tolerate, especially amongst my students!” He declares, tapping his cane five times this time.

Another silence descends upon them at that, broken only by Grim moaning aloud from behind them on the table.

Crowley’s eye lights return to life, his gaze slowly sliding over to the woozy magical creature and lingering there. “What exactly happened here, Erika?” He asks, his voice set low and even.

She sets her sights on the feathers adorning his left shoulder, a fluttering feeling making its way up her throat and _not_ in a good way.

Tentatively, she licks her dry lips, noting the crack there. “I, erm,” she stumbles, trying to forge the correct words on her tongue. “When I entered the cafeteria, the chandelier was already on the ground. B-Broken,” she nervously adds, struggling to separate her memory of what had happened in canon to her memory of just a few minutes ago. “But I’m not sure how it got broken...sir.”

Crowley’s eye lights land on her. “Hmmm,” he hums. “You don’t know how...But I’m sure that Grim and these two are the culprits, yes?”

From the corner of her eye, she catches Ace opening his mouth, prepared to retort his case.

Yet, Crowley is quick to shut him down.

“Lying in this kind of situation will not help you,” he warns. “It’d be best for the both of you if only the truth came out of your mouths,” he obviously directs to the Heartslabyul students.

The two at her sides fidget for a while until they finally admit it.

“...Yeah,” mutters Ace whilst Deuce confesses with a more polite, “Yes, sir.”

Crowley merely tilts his head at their admissions. “Although I applaud the both of you for your honestly, I’m afraid I just can’t accept that,” he sighs in a forlorn manner, before he clips his cane to his belt and spreads his hands out to them, a regretful twist to his lips. “Effective today, I hereby expel the two of you from Night Raven College!”

A lengthy silence befalls them then, made more apparent to her with the sudden stiffening from the bodies beside her.

“EHHHH?!” Ace and Deuce exclaim as one, the disbelief and horror painted starkly across their features.

“Yes,” affirms Crowley. 

“Wait, sir!” Deuce suddenly takes a step forward. “Please! Anything but that! I still have something I need to do at this school!” He pleads.

Yet, in the face of such sincerity, Crowley stands firm. “I cannot do that,” he says with a shake of his head. “However, if you want to blame somebody, blame your own idiocy,” he mercilessly adds, barbing his words extra sharp and painful.

Deuce flinches back, as if slapped, but he recomposes himself with a purse of his lips and a deep furrow creasing the area between his eyes.

“I will pay for the damages if I have to,” Deuce boldly claims, clapping his fist against his chest, determination keeping his body firm and unshaken.

Yet, once again, Crowley just shakes his head. “Oh, if only the matter were that simple,” he sighs, casting his gaze down, then he gestures to the chandelier behind him. “You see that chandelier over there? That, if you must know, is no ordinary chandelier. It is a _magical_ chandelier and its candles have been charmed to burn for all eternity,” he informs them. “It is a masterpiece that has been entrusted by a professional of magical tools, and it’s been here since the school’s very founding so…” He trails off.

A small murmur of “ _shit_ ” makes her look up at Ace. She sees the understanding dawn upon his features and she guesses that he must have comprehended where Crowley is going with this.

Deuce, however, is entirely oblivious. “How much would it be then?” He asks.

She snaps her head up at him, mouth open into a wobbly shape as she thinks, _Deuce, no._

“Taking into account its historical value, I’d say it cost no less than a billion madol,” Crowley tells them. “Tell me, will you be able to pay for it if so?”

Although this had all played out in the prologue and she’s well aware of the events, she still can’t help but feel befuddled over the price.

_Why on earth would a chandelier cost that much?!_ She thinks, pondering over how many microwaves and rice cookers she could buy with that amount of money. 

“A-A billion madol?!” Deuce parrots, clearly having been caught off guard.

“Mhhm!” Crowley confirms, looking expectedly at Deuce. “So? What is your answer?”

Deuce’s mouth falls open, but no words come out. It’s clear by his wide eyes and stupefied expression that he’s in shock.

_Oh, Deuce,_ she laments, wanting to reach out and pat him on the back because, out of them all, _he_ didn’t deserve to be expelled just because he decided to help out. _But why did you even think that throwing a whole person at a chandelier would be a good idea?_

Unexpectedly enough, Ace is the one to come to Deuce’s help.

“But, Headmaster! Can’t you just fix it up with magic…?” Ace asks, trying to grasp for straws at this point.

Crowley purses his lips at that suggestion. “Magic is not all-powerful, Trappola. It can’t fix _everything_ ,” he puts emphasis on the last word, a deep frown marring his features. “And if you must know, this chandelier, as with all magical tools, has a magical crystal that acts as its heart. A generator, so to speak, that keeps the candles burning. It’s unfortunate that the crash had destroyed it...and to look for a replacement would be close to impossible, as well as this chandelier ever lighting up again…”

At the very mention of _impossible_ , the sudden reality of their situation appears to finally crash on both Ace and Deuce’s shoulders.

The two look down at their feet, a variety of emotions spread out across their features and words of disbelief, trepidation, and fear for their own futures fall from their lips.

Feeling somewhat, only _somewhat!_ , responsible for this clusterfuck, Erika awkwardly clears her throat.

All eyes immediately turn to her, but she bears with it.

“Isn’t there a way for them to fix it?” She tentatively asks.

Crowley’s gaze settles on her for a while, assessing her, before he nods slowly.

“What?!” Ace and Deuce exclaim in surprise, standing at attention at the very possibility of their hides _not_ getting peeled off.

As Crowley details to them about the possibility of getting a suitable replacement for the magic crystal from the Dwarf Mine, Erika turns her attention to Grim who’s still laying on the table with a terrible expression twisting his features.

Seeing that Crowley is busy warning Ace and Deuce about the repercussions of going there, she slips out from between the two students and creeps closer to Grim.

“Nyarrrr…” Grim whines, moving his limbs this way and that with no real direction.

“Shhhh,” she softly hushes him as she places her hand on his belly. She pets him there, making sure to carefully card her fingers through his fur in a way to comfort him. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here,” she murmurs, continuing to comfort him in what little ways she can.

Her words and petting must act as some kind of guide to him in his state of unconsciousness because a few minutes later, the bleariness in Grim’s eyes recede.

“E...rika?” Grim calls out, looking up at her in confusion. “Hngh?” 

“It’s okay, I’m here,” she repeats, though a sudden slamming sound makes her flinch.

When she looks up, she sees that Ace and Deuce are no longer in the cafeteria, most likely having run off to head to the Dwarf’s Mine and accomplish Crowley’s crazy task.

She turns her attention to the Headmaster, her gaze immediately meeting his, and she belatedly realizes that he must have been watching her since the duo had gone off.

“Uhm.” She stands straighter but keeps her hand atop of Grim. “Does the expulsion apply to me as well?” She asks for clarification because she does _not_ want to get chased by a big ass Overblot monster, thank you very fucking much.

An amused smile worms its way on Crowley’s lips, whatever bad mood he’d been in disappearing just like that. 

“You didn’t have any direct involvement in this, so I will let this slide,” He tells her, immediately uplifting her spirits. “However,” he suddenly adds, and whatever hopes and dreams she has freeze to a stop. “I can’t say the same for that one.” 

Erika follows the direction in which his finger is pointing at, and she’s not all that surprised to discover that it leads to Grim.

The magical creature in question turns his head to face them, having apparently caught some parts of their conversation.

“Huh? What…? Expulsion?” He wonders aloud.

Although she feels a bit bad, she nevertheless explains the situation to him.

By the end of it, there’s a decidedly horrified look on Grim’s face.

“Expelled?” He mouths out, unable to believe his current circumstances before he jumps to his feet and snaps his gaze to Crowley. “But I’m not even a student here!” He protests

Crowley merely tilts his head. “Yes, you aren’t,” he confirms. “So in your case, I’ll be merely kicking you out of the campus and placing that permanent ban on you that I promised yesterday!” He laughs, sounding so very delighted.

Grim flinches, his eyes rounding.

“Nyagh! No, no, no! You can’t!” He exclaims before he turns to her. “Erika, Erika! We can’t let this happen,” he tells her. “I still have to become a Great Magician!”

At his pitiful display, she tenderly strokes his head.

“Then I suggest that the two of you get to it,” Crowley suggests.

Erika halts.

“Eh?” She utters, turning to look at the Headmaster with wide eyes. “...Me?” She points at herself because there is no way.

No. Fucking. _Way._

_Shouldn’t I be exempted?!_ She thinks in outrage.

However, to her dismay, Crowley nods his assent and even reaches out to pat her on the shoulder.

“Up until tomorrow morning, he’s still your responsibility,” he informs her with a smile. 

She gaps, but a tug on her jogging pants makes her look down at Grim who’s insistently pulling on it.

“Erika! Come _on!_ We have to catch up to those two!” Grim cries out, clearly in panic, and continues to tug on her pants with his claws digging deeply into them and poking her skin.

She looks up at Crowley, silently begging for any sort of help.

Crowley just continues smiling at her, the fucker even going so far as to wave his hand at her as he wishes her a,

“Good luck~” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh~ Hahaha, chapter posted late but that's okay! I had to prepare for some stuff over here at my side and work out the events of the following chapters~ (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> Common Name: Dugong


	28. Arctictis binturong whitei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As she stares into what is supposed to be a portal, Erika can very well much say that she doesn’t feel safe just looking at it.
> 
> Am I expected to jump into it? She thinks, glancing at the unfriendly-looking portal then back at the doors behind her, considering her options.

“Really now,” she sighs as she allows herself to be lead along through the building by Grim’s tail that’s wrapped snugly around her calf. “I don’t think we have to rush over there.”

“Nyah! Easy for you to say!” Grim snarls, toddling as fast as he can whilst keeping a close eye on her. “You’re not the one who’s gonna be homeless!” 

She begrudgingly gives that point to him, unable to deny his claim.

Because, regardless of whatever happens after this, she’ll still be able to live relatively peacefully in Ramshackle Dorm.

_...Maybe I should sabotage them_ , she considers, jokingly, but is she really?

By the time they make it to the Mirror Chamber, neither Ace nor Deuce are in there, most likely having gone ahead of them in their haste to avoid expulsion.

Grim scampers to the only mirror in the room, his slender pitchforked-tail uncoiling from its grasp on her, and he proceeds to inspect the mirror in a means to figure out how to activate it.

Erika glances back at the closed doors behind her, briefly noting the spot where she’d taken off her shoes that night, and she wonders if she should probably use this chance to escape now.

However, before she could so much as pursue those thoughts, a sudden rattling sounds brings her to look back at Grim who—

“Grim!” She exclaims, immediately darting towards him when she sees him attempting to shake the mirror free from its hinges. “Don’t do that!” She admonishes before placing her hands over his paws, firmly holding them to stop it from causing any more unneeded damages to school property.

“Nyargh!” Grim loudly yowls out, easily tugging his paws away from her grasp. “The stupid thing won’t work! Why’s it like this?!” He complains, pettily kicking the air.

She sighs at his temper but nonetheless looks up at the mirror’s dark reflection. Slowly, she stands up to her full height and gauges the mirror, daring to trace her finger along the inner edges just above the gilded area where dark wood meets glass. “I’m not so sure,” she truthfully answers.

The game had made it look so easy, but she can hardly recall the specifics of whatever the characters did to properly use it.

“I know that there’s a chant involved,” she murmurs, pulling her hand back, and ponders if she should bring out her phone to review this particular scene. “...I think,” she carefully adds.

“You think?!” Exclaims Grim, turning to her with a wild light in his eyes. “Erika, we can’t have _thought_. We need _know!_ ”

“Well, _sorry_ , but I’m not exactly a magician here, much less a technician,” is her blunt retort.

Grim growls, plumes of blue fire curdling around his mouth, before he raises his arms up high and yells out, “Oi! Stupid mirror! Work, I tell you! Work!”

She sends him a withering stare. “Grim,” she starts, softly, but also full of _what the fuck_ vibes leaking from that one word. “I don’t think that’ll work—”

But, as she’s come to learn how much of a contrarian this world is towards her, it _does_ work.

She abruptly rears back when a sickly green smoke appears within the mirror, trapped— _contained_ —in its glass cage.

At the sight of a dark blur taking shape, she instantly takes a few cautious steps back, wondering what is it _this_ time.

**_“Ah,”_ ** utters the theatre mask from within the depths of the mirror— _the Dark Mirror_ , she corrects as she stares with wide and round eyes at a character who only had, like, a single screen time in the game but is now here?!

“Oh,” Grim speaks up, his ears perked high. “It’s the mask thingy that puts new students in the dorms,” he says, more so to himself than anybody else really.

At its vague mention, the mask angles itself in a way so that it looks as if it’s inquisitively peering down at Grim.

**_“You...are that being yesterday,”_ ** it recognizes, narrowing its eye holes adorned with decorative lace. **_“What is thy purpose for coming here once more?”_ **

Grim blinks, obviously startled at being questioned so directly by, well, a _mirror_ , but he grins up high at the artifact with his canines proudly gleaming.

“I wanna go to the Dwarf’s Mine!” He declares, jumping up and down whilst waving his paws. “That feathery guy, ugh, the headmaster! The headmaster told us to go here and use the mirror, but we don’t know how!” Grim taps his foot impatiently on the ground, not only peeved at the headmaster but also restless at the time of expulsion drawing ever nearer.

The creases in the Dark Mirror’s face eventually recedes, though it’s still frowning deeply at them.

She surprisingly stands her ground when the Dark Mirror turns to her, its abyss-like gaze boring into her being.

**_“What about you?”_ ** It directs to her, its frown deepening. **_“Is thy purpose the same?”_ **

…

_No_ , she wants to say, but the word gets stuck in her heart because _no_. No, no, no.

Erika wants to go home, back to her own world where her family, her friends, and even her goddam university is. 

She wants to leave this place for good.

But even she knows how hopeless of a question that would be, because even the Dark Mirror itself had said, last night, that it had no idea where it was.

It was, as it had put, _nowhere_.

_But I know it’s somewhere_ , she thinks with a clench of her hands, balling them into tiny fists that she keeps firmly to her sides. _It’s somewhere. And I’ll get home. No matter what_.

It is with that resolute thought that she bottles up her desires, her deeply set wishes, and shoves it back inside of her heart.

“Yes,” she says to the Dark Mirror. “Will you help us get to the Dwarf’s Mine?” She requests, keeping her voice polite and steady.

The Dark Mirror stares at her in a way that makes her feel as if it doesn’t quite believe her.

She doesn’t doubt it—it _is_ supposed to be all-seeing for a reason.

**_“If that is thy sole wish…”_ ** It accepts before it angles its face downwards so as to look at Grim. **_“You, creature, come. And listen carefully,”_ ** it urges.

Remarkably enough, Grim obeys and toddles nearer to the Dark Mirror.

It takes a few minutes for Grim to be able to grasp the instructions given to him, but the Dark Mirror proves to be an impressively patient teacher when it repeats and repeats and _repeats_ until Grim is able to say the whole two lines perfectly.

**_“Yes,”_ ** affirms the Dark Mirror.

“Oh,” utters Grim with a tilt of his head. “That’s it?!”

**_“Yes.”_ **

“Huh.” Grim blinks, then a cocky grin spreads wide across his face. “That was easy!” He cackles with his paws raised high.

The Dark Mirror doesn’t respond to that; instead, it merely looks her way one last time before it gradually dissipates into the sickly green smoke in the background.

_...Not weird at all_ , is her opinion, even though she’s grateful to the Dark Mirror for being so calm throughout its impromptu lesson with Grim.

“Well?” Erika prods, gently poking Grim with the tip of her shoe. “Are we going or what?” 

Grim looks up at her, the blue of his eyes as bright as the flames in his ears.

“Yeah!” He cheers, skipping up high as he punches the air over his head. “Let’s go get us some magic crystals!”

“Mhhm,” she noncommittedly hums as she clasps her hands at her back.

She watches as Grim takes the center stage before the mirror, his back turned to her. He raises his paws high up in the air, something that he’s _definitely_ doing out of dramatics since the Dark Mirror had never specified this in its instructions.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall!” He starts out in a shout, each word harshly enunciated. “Light our way to the Dwarf’s Mine!”

At the end of those words, the glass surface of the mirror suddenly ripples outwards in several smooth and hypnotic motions before it settles into an imitation of a dark and peaceful body of water.

As she stares into what is supposed to be a _portal_ , Erika can very well much say that she doesn’t feel safe just _looking_ at it.

_Am I expected to jump into it?_ She thinks, glancing at the unfriendly-looking portal then back at the doors behind her, considering her options.

“Hey, Grim,” she calls out to in one last bid to freedom, looking down at Grim who, for some reason, is crouching down on his hindlegs and—

A panicked and very embarrassing squeak escapes when, much to her horror, Grim practically _leaps_ into the portal.

She watches with her hands covering her mouth as the last vestiges of Grim’s pitchforked-tail are swallowed up by the mirror.

She holds her breath, terrified out of her wits, before she tentatively takes a step forward.

“...Grim?” She calls out to, anxious. When she receives no reply, she forces herself to walk a bit forward until she’s just an arm’s length away from the rippling mirror. 

Just as she’s resigned herself to sticking her hand into it and probably _losing it_ , a head pops out from the portal.

_Grim’s_ head.

Her hands immediately fly up to cover her mouth once more. 

However, much to her relief, it appears that Grim is merely sticking his head out since his eyes immediately lock on her.

“Oi, what are you doing standing there look like an idiot?!” Grim snaps as smoke puffs out from his mouth in an elegant arc. “Come on! Time’s a wasting!” One of his arms then sticks out of the portal, his paw waving at her to, obviously, get a move on!

Erika risks one last glance at the door leading to the rest of the building, to everywhere else _away_ from this creepy portal, but she looks back.

Briefly, her gaze falls on Grim, just to gauge one last time if he’s truly alright and not just a decapitated talking head with a floating arm, then she looks at the rippling mirror with a grim frown.

Slowly, she takes the needed steps forward, making sure to inhale deeply.

Cautiously, she grazes her hand across the surface, noting the freezingly cold sensation that chills her fingers and how the ripples follow her fingers.

_Best to treat it like a bandage_ , she thinks, closing her eyes shut because she’d never done well with anything liquid in her eyes. _Rip it off quickly!_

And, with air preparedly trapped within her lungs, she plunges in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I enjoyed writing this chapter, I'm 100% more excited for the next chapter because ADEUCE!!!! Heh. Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe. Watch out for the next chapter guys =3=
> 
> Common Name: Palawan Bearcat


	29. Hydrangea petiolaris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That is...She thinks, recognizing the disquieting shelter for what it is—for what it had been. That’s the Dwarves’ house…
> 
> “Huh,” Grim speaks up. “Who’s crazy enough to live all the way out here in that shack?”
> 
> It’s clearly a joke, one for jest, but Erika can’t seem to find any humor in looking at such a sad thing.

Traveling by mirror is everything and nothing she’s ever experienced.

Entering it had been the easiest, like poking through a plastic film that’s been stretched taut and thin to its limit, but it’s sinking _into_ it that’s the problem.

The sensation is liking diving into a swimming pool—the difference is, it’s not water its holding but _gelatin_ . The thick, slimy kind that has yet to settle and clings to her limbs like a second set of hands seizing the control from her body and struggling to drag her down, down, _down,_ **_dow_** —

It is, with a desperate intake of breath, that she emerges free from the portal and miraculously lands on her feet.

She nearly stumbles, of course, because the brunt of gravity suddenly slams down on her, reminding her _which_ laws of physics she’s supposed to obey now that she's out of whatever the hell kind of place that the inside of the mirror was.

It takes her a while to gather her wits; once she does, though, she finally raises her gaze to investigate just what kind of place the Dwarf’s Mine looks like in real life.

_Oh_ , she thinks, staring at the rows upon rows of trees whose wooden trunks stretch out endlessly for as far as her eyes can perceive. They’re in a forest, by the looks of things, with what last rays of sunlight piercing through the thick canopy of leaves overhead.

She’s brought out of her awestruck state when the sensation of something firm coiling around her calf, and she snaps her head down to make sure that no fucking snake had gotten her.

To her immense relief, it’s only Grim with his tail wrapped snugly around it.

“Hey, ugh,” he starts, looking around at their surroundings, his ears swiveling to and fro every now and then as if he’s picking sounds that her limited human ears can’t. “Where are we?” He finally asks, looking back up at her. “Aren’t we supposed to be at the mine?”

“We must have landed close to it,” she supposes, looking around for sort of trail they could follow because picking a random direction would only bring them more harm than good.

She eventually spots one after a tireless minute, It’s a faded one, littered with random twigs and dead leaves, but it’s a path, and any path is better than _no_ path.

“Look.” She points at the meager road. “We should probably follow that,” she suggests, hoping that Grim would agree with her idea because they can _not_ just stand around here and wait for whatever wild animals living here to attack them.

Fortunately for her, Grim easily enough complies and, without further ado, the two of them set off even deeper into the forest.

Barely a few minutes in their trek, they ultimately spot what appears to be a small house with a dirty brown roof covered in moss over the distance.

_That is..._ She thinks, recognizing the disquieting shelter for what it is—for what it _had_ been. _That’s the Dwarves’ house…_

“Huh,” Grim speaks up, effectively shattering her demoralized train of thoughts. He comes to a stop beside her and looks up at her with a wide smirk planted upon his lips. “Who’s crazy enough to live all the way out here in that shack?”

It’s clearly a joke, one for jest, but Erika can’t seem to find any humor in looking at such a sad thing.

“Mhhm,” is her only response.

“Let’s go check it out!” Grim suddenly exclaims, his tail uncoiling free from her calf. “Maybe we could find some clues from the people who live there?” He proposes, looking excitedly at the obviously rundown house.

“I doubt anybody’s living in there, Grim,” she puts in her two cents, but Grim merely rolls his eyes at her before he scampers off towards the house with his pitchforked-tail swinging behind him.

_What a fucker_ , she thinks with a weary sigh as she strolls after him. She makes it a point to be careful when crossing the little wooden bridge arcing over the flowing stream, noting each creak it makes as she makes it over to the other side.

By the time she makes it to the house’s porch, she’s bewildered to see Grim crouched low on all fours and, for some reason, sniffing the dusty straw mat?

“Grim?” She questions, crouching down next to him. “What’s wrong?” She inquires as she watches him butt his nose against the floor, thinking about how _that_ can hardly be hygienic.

“Mrrw,” is his growled out response. “This smell!” He exclaims, suddenly jumping up to stand upon his hind legs. “It’s those two bastards!” He snarls, glaring up at the wooden door.

_Huh?_ Erika furrows her brows as she stares in confusion at Grim. _Two bastar—_

Before that particular line of thought could finish, the front door suddenly swings open with a high-pitched _creeaaaaaak_ , the edges of the wood nearly hitting her in the face if she hadn’t stopped it with her bare hands.

It is an action that she instantly regrets.

“Ow!” She exclaims, pulling her hands away to blow coldly on her miserably red palms. “What the fuck?! Who the hell—”

The minute she looks to glare angrily at the perpetrator, mouth open to rebuke.

Yet, it all fails her when she sees none other than the infamous Heartslabyul reformed delinquent of the game standing in the doorway.

Deuce stares down at her, apparently having been the one to open the door that had nearly bashed her nose in, and looks so very caught off-guard by her mere presence if the way his eyes widen are anything to talk about.

“You—” Deuce’s words are cut off when his companion hardly knocks into him from behind.

“Hey!” A familiar voice, _Ace’s_ , yells out in complaint. “What the hell? What are you doing just standing there?” He grumbles, squeezing his way through the little gap between Deuce’s body and the doorway. “Gah! You could have _moved!_ ” He scowls at Deuce as he rubs the back of his head, clearly irked. “What’s got you so—”

Ace halts, staring down at her with wide eyes that are only furtherly defined by his raised brows, with his mouth slightly agape.

In the midst of this awkward and very much unwanted situation, her thighs cry out in protest, demanding some sort of alleviation from all of the weight she’d forced onto it with her crouch.

Slowly, she rises to her full height, finding it easier to stare at him without having to crane her head back.

Her gaze flickers from Ace’s red eyes to Deuce’s teal ones, unable to quite decide who to talk to, much less _what_ to say.

She jolts, though, when she feels something snake itself around her calf and sends a withering glare towards Grim when she sees that it’s only his tail once again wrapping itself around her.

And then, much to her horror, Grim opens his mouth and proceeds to say, “Rejoice, you two! The Great Grim and his lackey Erika have come to help you!” 

_Grim!!!_ She so desperately wants to scream, a mixture of aghast and embarrassed at his bold words, but she resorts to wailing it several times in her mind.

With trepidation curling next to her lungs, she tentatively peeks a look at the two students’ reactions.

As expected, neither of them looks relieved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WWWWW Happy one-month, guys~! Cheers to us having more chapters of MC in the future ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
> 
> Next chapter will feature MC, Grim, and our Adeuce combo interacting hehe!
> 
> Common Name: Climbing Hydrangea


	30. Nepenthes hamiguitenensis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is actually quite romantic, she thinks. A dark and enigmatic place with nothing but trees on either side of you, the sound of chirping cicadas vibrating through the air in its own symphony, and a warm body on either—Wait.

What awkward silence that saturates the air amongst them is immediately broken by Ace’s scoff.

“Who’d want help from _you_ ,” retorts Ace, a grimace twisting his features. “You’d probably make the whole thing worse!”

Erika tenses when the tail coiled around her leg instantly tightens, the owner of which clearly put out by the jibe.

“Nyagh! Who’re you calling useless?!” Snarls Grim, taking a step forward and baring his canines.

Ace snorts as he folds his hands behind his head. “You did, you idiot,” is his blunt reply. "I just called you unhelpful, heh!"

“Nyrrrh! Why I oughta—” Grim cuts himself to grow lowly, blue fire sparking around his canines and alighting his face in a blue glow.

However, before he could so much as set fire to not only Ace but also to the easily flammable house with moss sticking out of every crevice, Erika promptly picks him up from the ground.

“No,” she’s quick to tell him, keeping him close to her chest and scratching the area just below his chin. She makes sure to warily avoid the fire pluming from his mouth because the last thing she needs is to get a burn and possibly spend money for the creams to treat it. “No fighting, Grim. Remember that we came here to do something,” she reminds him.

“Ah!” Grim jolts to attention, remembering what they came here for, and he looks up at her wide eyes. “I nearly forgot!” He then lowers his face to look at Ace, a decidedly unhappy expression twisting his features as if he were looking at a bug. “Oi, can you move? We have something to ask the people who live here.”

“Haaaaaah? And why should I?” Mocks Ace, clearly trying to provoke him.

Grim narrows his eyes, his ears folding against his head to show his displeasure as he gazes at Ace. He turns to look up at her and, snidely, whispers to her, “This guy’s a dumbass, isn’t he?”

In spite of the low voice that Grim uses, Ace somehow catches it and bristles, his shoulders rising out of indignation.

“What did you call me?!”

As the two begin to bicker between themselves, Erika slides her gaze over to the strangely silent Deuce.

Their eyes instantly meet.

Oddly enough, Deuce stiffens under her attention, immediately straightening his back as if he were some soldier and she a drill sergeant.

She blinks, perplexed, and tilts her head. “Uhm,” she tentatively starts, grasping for the words to form on her tongue. “Is anybody home?” She finally asks.

Deuce flinches as if she’d just slapped him but he shakes his head.

“The,” his voice cracks, which she boggles at for a while, but he eventually clears his throat with an embarrassed cough into his gloved fist. “There’s nobody. It looks abandoned,” is his clipped response.

As much as she wants to ask _why_ he’s acting so very...out of character from the game, she pushes it to the back of her head because she has other things to worry about.

“Mhhm,” she hums, looking over his shoulder and glimpsing at what she can.

With how dark the room is, all she can make out are some cobweb-covered cabinets and dust bunnies hanging from the ceilings like streamers—as gloomy and silent as its outer appearance looks like.

A lonely and very much abandoned house.

“Then we’ll just have to find the way to the mine ourselves,” she murmurs. “Let’s go, Grim,” she says, adjusting her hold on the magical creature in question and turning around to look for another path, abruptly ending his argument with Ace.

She turns her head this way and that, tirelessly surveying the area for any sign of a route they can take, and she eventually spots one in between the cover of two bushes, faint dirt makes the only sign that there _had_ been a road there once upon a time.

Grim must have seen it as well since he suddenly wriggles in her arms to get her attention and asks, “Is that the way to the mine?”

She honestly doesn’t know, but it can’t hurt to try, right?

“Let’s see if it is,” is her less than confident response before she ambles toward it, being mindful of the uneven holes in the ground and any stray roots bursting free from the ground.

She doesn’t look back to see if the boys had followed her; she doesn’t doubt they would.

After all, they came here in the first place to avoid expulsion, so why would they let a chance like this slip by?

.

..

…

..

.

She doesn’t quite know for how long they’ve been walking, but she can hazard a guess that it’s been _more_ than just a ‘couple of minutes’ judging by the dark sky overhead.

She mutters a curse when she nearly trips over a hole big enough to catch her foot, but she steadies herself just in time because she’d rather not eat _dirt_ thank you very fucking much.

An idea hits her then and there, and she comes to a stop.

“Grim,” she speaks up, and, when the magical creature in her arms looks up at her, continues, requests, “Can you be the one to walk ahead? I’m having a hard time trying to make out the path.”

Grim blinks, tilting his head at her before he realizes what she means.

Instantly, a wide grin spreads itself across his lips, his sharp canines bared for her to see.

“Nyehehehe,” he snickers. “So you need the Great Grim’s help now?” He doesn’t even wait for her reply, wriggling free from her arms to land on the ground. “Well, it can’t be helped then! Let me lead the way!” He boasts, patting himself thrice on his chest.

She can’t help smiling at his little performance. “Thank you,” she offers and proceeds to follow after his footsteps, the brilliant flames in his ears serving as just the perfect lanterns in the night. 

_This is actually quite romantic_ , she thinks. A dark and enigmatic place with nothing but trees on either side of you, the sound of chirping cicadas vibrating through the air in its own symphony, and a warm body on either— _Wait._

What few minutes of peace that she has is abruptly torn out of her hands when she finally notices the two individuals that had come up to walk alongside her, having closed the distance between them when she’d been distracted.

Ace is the first one to speak up, breaking the tranquility that she so desperately wishes to return.

He looks at her, his vividly red eyes boring into her own, and she’s quick to shift her gaze to just above his eyebrows.

“Why are you even here, by the way?” Ace bluntly asks her, making some sort of jerking movement with his hand. “Shouldn’t you be cleaning or something…?"

Her eye twitches at that comment, a small flower of ire blooming in her fists. “The headmaster told me to come along,” is her curt reply. “Grim still is, technically, under my supervision,” she calmly explains.

Ace utters a humming sound that syncs with the clicking of the cicadas in the background, his eyebrows rising high.

Just when she’d resigned herself to another bout of awkward silence, she’s surprised to hear Deuce suddenly speak up.

“You…” Is his trailing word.

She turns her head to look at him, her brows perched up questionably. “Me?” She parrots back.

Deuce’s gaze avoids her, his expression twisted as if he doesn’t know where to look, much less what to say.

_Weird..._ She thinks, hardly remembering when Deuce acted so _shyly_ in the game.

“You were the one that the Dark Mirror couldn’t sort, weren’t you?” He finally gets out.

As surprised as she is by his question, Erika nonetheless nods. “Yeah. It couldn’t because, well,” she pauses, trying to look for the right words. “I wasn’t supposed to be a student here,” is what she settles on.

Deuce’s gaze briefly falls over the rest of her body, as if confirming that, yep, she’s a bonafide woman thank you very much, and she notes that he only took a second, not even bothering to linger, and gives him a point in her mind.

“So you...became a part of the utility staff instead?” Deuce says, sounding so confused. “Why didn’t you just go home then?” He asks.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the question even she wants to know the answer to.

A bitter smile claws up her face at that.

Erika moves her gaze back to Grim, keeping her sights set on the flames in his ears because it wouldn’t do if they got lost. “I can’t seem to,” is her honest answer.

Both Ace and Deuce express incomprehensible sounds of surprise on either of her sides.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Ace asks, clearly trying to dig deeper into the story here. “Can’t the headmaster just send you back home or something? I know that the Dark Mirror can do that.”

_If only_ , she thinks with a shake of her head. “The Dark Mirror said that it couldn’t find my home,” she tells them, thinking that it’d be safe to tell them that.

It was the truth, after all; sooner or later, Crowley would have to divulge it to the more prominent students of this school, considering why he’d had to hire a _female_ staff member.

“Where do you live then?” Deuce asks, walking a bit faster so that he can better look at her face for some reason and something that she does _not_ really appreciate. “Maybe you can commute there?” He suggests.

“Can’t,” she says, and her mood plummeting as a consequence of the horrible truth falling from her lips. “It’s too far. And I don’t know how to from here.” She tries to make it vague.

“Hmmmmm,” Ace hums, sounding suspicious about her story. “If you say so. What’s its name then?”

She...doesn’t feel comfortable saying it. It’s her _home_ after all, and she barely knows these two.

“I’d rather not say,” is her clipped answer as she hurried along towards Grim to put as much distance between her and them, an attempt to end this conversation once and for all. “C’mon. We still have to look for your magical crystal,” she reminds them, not even bothering to look back.

Thankfully, neither of them venture to match her pace, instead choosing to walk behind her and getting her silent message of _back off_.

Still—

_...Commute, huh_. She thinks with a snort. _I wish._

.

..

…

..

.

“Is this place even safe?” She unintentionally asks, but _really_ , what else was she supposed to say in this kind of situation?

The Dwarf’s Mine is just a millimeter away from looking like an utter _death trap_ , missing only the yellow tape with the words _CAUTION_ emblazoned upon it in big and bold black letters.

She cautiously stares up at the large tree whose roots hang over the mine’s crooked entrance, several thick vines hanging from it in a mockery of curtains, and even the railroad leading into the mind are rusted over with its wooden boards clearly moldy with some fungus.

“We don’t have a choice,” says Deuce as he adjusts his gloves and she immediately zones in at that movement for a brief moment. “We have to get a magic crystal for that chandelier, and the headmaster says that this is the only place.”

“Hmmmm,” is all she’s able to say about that, not really happy about this situation. _Can’t I wait outside instead?_ She thinks, but then suddenly remembers something vital. “Hey, ugh.” How can she phrase this well and not in an alarming ‘we might get killed’ way? “Do you think there’s anything inside there?”

“Spiders, most likely,” snorts Ace as he fiddles with the magic pen in his breast pocket. “But a mine this abandoned? I doubt it.”

She wants to laugh, because, _Ace_ , spiders will be the least of their worries if they go in there.

Deciding that she wants absolutely _nothing_ to do with this accursed place, she opens her mouth to say that she’d rather stay outside but then she closes it, realization dawning on her.

... _Inside the mines or out here with the forest?_ She wonders, glancing at the ring of trees surrounding them, their depths shadowed due to how dark it is right now.

Though no bushes rustle as is the norm in horror movies, Erika can easily make up her mind about that.

She’d rather face a danger she _knows_ about than an unexpected one that could probably maul her to death when she has her back turned.

Plus, she has some meat shields to sacrifice if ever things look too bad.

“Let’s go!” Grim announces, pumping the air over his head with his paw in his enthusiasm.

“Yosh!” Agrees Deuce, punching his fist into his open palm. “Let’s get that magic crystal!”

“Ahhh~ Let’s just get this over with,” grumbles Ace as he rubs the back of his head.

Erika does nothing.

She merely stares at them, wondering if she should say something too, but? Wouldn’t that just be weird? And why did they all have to say that?

...Couldn’t they just go in there quietly like normal people?

However, when all eyes bore into her in an almost expectant light, she has no choice but to succumb to peer pressure and shakily raise her fist just a bit.

“Y-Yeah,” she lamely says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wwww MC, Deuce is just weird because he doesn't do well in women (refer to the Ghost Marriage Event).
> 
> Common Name: Mindanao giant pitcher plant


	31. Excoecaria algallocha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She shivers at the cold sensation that briefly passes over her and snaps her gaze up at the ghost she’d just fucking passed through what the fuck?!
> 
> And, in a manner akin to a horror movie’s plot, the ghost turns its head around.
> 
> ONLY its head.
> 
> Son of a bitch?! She screams in her mind, her mouth falling open at the sight of a horrific 180 degrees!

Her ears are still burning really badly from that little stunt she did.

_Hnghhhhhhh_ , she thinks, wanting so very much to dig a hole and just live there for the next month. Preferably _forever_ if it means not having to see the very reminders of her embarrassment. 

Grim makes a little surprised sound in his throat. “Woooow. It’s really pretty in here,” he comments, tilting his head back to better stare up at the rows upon rows of twinkling gems scattered about in the mine’s ceiling.

“...Yeah,” agrees Deuce. “There’s still a lot of gems here...why did it become abandoned?”

“Probably ‘cause it _stinks_ in here,” says Ace before he starts coughing and waving the air in front of him.

Erika jolts at that, remembering something incredibly crucial.

“Try to cover your nose, guys,” she cautions, already bringing up the collar of her shirt to cover her nose. “The coal dust in here isn’t safe to breathe in.” She wishes she’d at least woken up here with her face mask.

Grim alarmingly snaps his head to her. “Nyagh? Is the air poisoned?!”

Unexpectedly, Ace is the one who answers that question.

“Ugh, kind of?” He rubs the back of his head, his gaze briefly shooting upwards as if he were wracking through his brain for the information. “It won’t do us too much harm _now_ , but, if we breathe in too much of it on a daily basis, our lungs will become black.”

“Yeah.” Erika nods her head, noting the abandoned pickaxes off to the sides and grimacing at how much layers of cobwebs are laying upon them. “It’s one of the main problems that miners have to usually deal with…”

“The both of you sure know a lot of about this,” comments Deuce, looking at them in a new light.

Ace snorts, directing his unamused gaze to his fellow dormmate. “You calling me dumb? This was common knowledge back in middle school. We usually had to watch documentaries about this together with natural disasters,” he points.

She, on the other hand, merely hums. “I actually had to study it for a paper I had to write back then…”

Grim looks towards Deuce, clearly expecting him to say something about the topic as well.

However, Deuce merely looks away, mumbling, “We didn’t have those in our school,” and looking as if he didn’t want to stay on this particular subject.

_...Or did you skip out on those classes about it?_ She can’t help but wonder, remembering that Deuce _was_ supposed to be a delinquent before enrolling in Night Raven College, but maybe his school didn’t truly have those kinds of lessons.

After all, different schools, usually different lesson plans.

She’s snapped out of her little reverie when she notices Grim scampering off towards one of the blue crystals emerging from the ground.

“Ne, ne,” Grim calls out to them as he observes the blue crystal, angling his head this way and that to spot something amiss. “Is this a magical crystal?” He asks and, for fuck’s sake, _knocks_ on it thrice and miraculously doesn’t implode anything. “It looks...duller than I imagined it to be.”

“Nah,” answers Ace as he approaches Grim from behind and joins him in inspecting the crystal. “The ones that are dim, like this one here, are useless when powering up magical tools,” he explains, crouching down to around Grim’s height and accompanying him in his poking. “The one that we’re looking for should be shinning. Like a star,” he specifies.

“Ahhhhh,” draws out Grim, looking around with a rather glum expression.

She can’t blame him for looking so sad because, as she too looks around, there are only dim crystals for as she can tell.

“...No wonder it’s so abandoned then,” Deuce murmurs, understanding dawning on him. “This is supposed to be a magical crystal mine, isn’t it? If there aren’t any left, then...best to leave it alone…”

“Yeah,” agrees Ace, looking around as well with a grown marring his lips. “At this rate, we might not find any at all.”

“That—!” Both Deuce and Grim look at him in surprise, their eyes wide and round.

“We can’t give up now!” Deuce says, thumping his chest with a clenched fist. “To be expelled on my first day—! How can I ever face my family?!” He exclaims, looking positively horrified at that thought.

“Yeah, yeah! I don’t want to get kicked out on the streets!” Grim speaks up, shaking his little fists in the air. “We have to look for one, no matter what!”

**_“Yeah! Let’s go look for one!”_ **

“Mhhm.” She nods her head, turning it to look at Ace who’d just spoken before her. “We should—”

She stops, the words dying on her lips, as she comes face to face with a pale and translucent face that is _definitely_ not Ace’s.

The boy in question is standing off to the side and looking at her and their unexpected companion with wide eyes.

“Gho—” Ace chokes out, suddenly rearing back and taking a couple of steps towards the wall. He shakily points at the being grinning at her, his mouth open but his words failing him

Luckily, Grim is there to announce it to the whole world.

“Erika!!!” He shrieks, fire immediately curling around his mouth due to the sudden influx of emotions whirling inside of him. “There’s a ghost!” 

_No shit?!_ She cries in her mind, but she _does_ take the initiative to back away from the ghost so as to put as much distance between her and—

—Only, to her ever-mounting horror, she instead runs through another ghost floating at her back.

She shivers at the cold sensation that briefly passes over her and snaps her gaze up at the ghost she’d just _fucking passed through what the fuck?!_

And, in a manner akin to a horror movie’s plot, the ghost turns its head around.

_Only_ its head.

_Son of a bitch?!_ She screams in her mind, her mouth falling open at the sight of a horrific 180 degrees!

**_“Heeeeeheeehee!”_ ** Snickers the second ghost, grinning toothily at her. **_“Oh, how long it’s been since we’ve had visitors, ey, brother?”_ ** It looks towards its companion who floats forward to stand by its companion.

**_“Yep!”_ ** Laughs the first ghost. **_“Ten years, in fact! People rarely come around here these days, and hardly any of them make for good guests!”_ ** He complains with a pout.

Then, the two of them turn to her, a malicious gleam in their eyes.

_Why are you ganging up on me?!_ She wants to demand, because it’s not fair! Why her, when they could spook out Grim, Ace, or even Deuce! Any of them would be way better than her! Their reactions would be 200% better than hers!

**_“Hey, you,”_ ** the first ghost calls to her, leaning in close to which she responds with a step back. Its grin widens at her obvious fright and uneasiness. **_“You’ll be a good guest, won’t you? You and friends will make yourselves at home, right?”_ **

Then, its face morphs into something sinister, something _threatening_ , and when it smiles even wider this time, its teeth look as sharp as razors.

**_“For eternity, yes?”_ **

It is, as that moment, that static pierces through her mind, alighting some part of her brain that makes her see clearer, more definite, and with those dastard glowing circles spinning happily as if to say, _Are you ready?!_ , with a big and happy smile.

Not even a second later does a ball of blue fire immediately smack into the first ghost’s face and consequently through the glowing green circle there.

She’s stunned by the shower of sparkles that bursts forth from the circle, but she doesn’t have much time to dwell on that before she feels something grip her wrist and she’s being tugged away.

She snaps her head towards the offender and is very surprised to see Ace who’d kept pulling on her arm.

“Let’s go!” He impatiently says, his red eyes wide and round as he stares past her and towards the very much preoccupied ghosts. He tugs on her one last time, keeping a good grip on her, before he breaks out into a full out sprint after the others.

_!!!_

In order to avoid getting her knees skinned raw, she’s forced to follow his example and runs after him, mindful that they’re only venturing even deeper into the hazardous mines where an even worse danger lurks.

However, as much as she wants to concentrate on merely _running for her life_ , the rhythm in her head reminds her of her own situation, the _thud thud thud_ of the circles missing its mark becoming a continuous beat that irks at the back of her mind, and she’s quick to look back to gauge their current situation.

Her soul nearly flies out of her body when she sees how _close_ the ghosts are gaining on them.

**_“Heeeheeheeee,”_ ** laughs the closest one. **_“You’ll never get away from us!”_ **

**_“We’ll catch you, we’ll catch you!”_ ** The other cackles.

Alarmed, Erika looks back to gauge what she can do to possibly ward them off.

_Obviously not me!_ She promptly decides, because the most she could do is throw her shoe at them but that would mean having to stop _running_.

Her gaze involuntarily slides towards Deuce who’s running ahead of them, and she immediately crosses him out since he might run into a pillar or a wall if he doesn’t watch his every step.

She glances at Grim and immediately debunks him as a candidate as the imagines the situation of him having to stop at a certain point in order to properly shoot out his fire; time that could be used for running if he couldn’t multitask.

Without anyone else to do the job, her gaze finally lands on Ace whose tight grip on her is just one level away from bruising.

She considers it, rolls it around in her head for as long as she can, before she puts on her big girl panties.

“Ace!” She calls out, hoping that her voice carries out. “Do you know any magic?!” She asks in a fretful manner, holding in her shriek when something cold licks at her back.

“Huhhhh?!” Is Ace’s less than eloquent response. “Why?! What’s it to you?!”

A tick mark appears on her temple.

“So we can get rid of these ghosts!” She snaps, the _thud thud thud_ ringing out like failures in her head. “Let me help! I can be your guide! All you have to do is shoot where I tell you to!”

Ace makes some sort of protesting noise, clearly not enjoying her idea, but another bout of cackling from the ghosts must persuade him because he breathes out a heavy sigh.

“Fine!” He gives in, reaching into his breast pocket to pull out his magical pen. He waves it at her as if mocking her. “But you better not let me miss or else!” He warns her.

She narrows her eyes. _Like hell I will_ , she thinks, even as she looks back at the grinning ghosts chasing after them and sharply shouts out, “Eight o’clock behind you!” 

She hears Ace’s yell of, “Take _this!_ ", before a cutting gale of wind breezes past her in a whooshing sound.

Erika watches as the gale of wind catches one of the ghosts, hitting the green circle plain in the center with a beautiful _thum!_ , and soon envelopes the ghost in its windy cage before sending it spiraling up to the ceiling.

**_“Nyoo-ohhooo-woooo!”_ ** Goes the ghost before it slams quite harshly against the rocky ceiling with a painful sound. **_“Oof!”_ **

“Did I hit it?!” Ace inquires, still leading the way for the two of them. “Hey!”

“Yeah!” Erika confirms, clutching onto Ace’s arm as he’s still holding onto her wrist, worried that if he lets her go now then she might stumble and lose her way. “Yeah, you hit it! But it’s not over yet!”

She doesn’t expect him to reply, truly, so it’s an honest surprise to her when he replies with a, “Got you!”

She can’t help the small smile that climbs up to her face, but it’s soon taken down when the ghost that had been hit recovers quite quickly and follows them once more with a vengeful shout of, **_“How dare you!”_ **

_Let’s clean them up!_ She thinks, opening her mouth to commandeer the next attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh~ I haven't slept yet, but that's honestly okay. I can always take a nap later. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
> 
> >_< MC, faito!
> 
> Common Name: Blinding Tree


	32. Gladiolus palustris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "̶̼̦̙̋S̴̻̅̀̃̈́̎̔̚t̶̘͉͋͋̋̓͛ͅö̸̥̪̻͔͓̠̟́̓̄͝ṋ̶̰̈̆̂͆̋e̷̬͂.̴̛͕̫̌̍.̷͓͒̋.̵̭̩̪̭͓̆.̵̨̓̽̎͘I̴͓̥͔͓̻͌̚S̷͔̟̟̿̒̍͋̇̿͜ ̶̢̮̗͈͚̹͑̂̈̔͗͝Ḿ̶̡͈̦̬̝̦͘I̵̼̖̐͊I̸̡̩͗́͋̇̇̕I̸̟̍̉̕I̸̼̯̬̻͋̓͒̈́̋̂Ĩ̷̠̰̱̜̹̤̽̐Ḯ̸̺̰̦̹͌̑̾Į̶͓͚̤͔̫̦̆̌̌̃̊͊I̷̦̖̞̙͚͈̿I̷͉̣̰̯͙̓́͌̋͒͘͝N̷̠̎̔̓̌̊͑͜͠E̴̥̲̟͙̩̗͗̐͐̎͐͛̒E̵̘̼̦̋̑̋͝E̷̡̤̘̬͚͑̾͝È̷̠̝̩̺̓͋͌̕͘È̷̲̃̌͌E̷̢̡͖̘̩̫̲̔!̵̟̠͇̏̐͘!̵̘̳͈͙̙͕͋͘͝!̶̢͉̉̈͂̉̅̊̈́!̷̢̡̮͙̮̈́͒̊"̶̛͚̙̪͔͎̞̒̿͒͊͝

_Fuuuuuuuuuck_.

It is, at that moment, that Erika feels a little bit of herself die as she hunches over one of the larger rocks in the mine and proceeds to empty out what little fluids she has left.

“A-Are you alright?” Deuce tentatively asks her once she’s done retching nothing but saliva and hydrochloric acid. He still has his hand on top of the middle of her back, continuing to awkwardly and painfully rub little circles there in his own way of comforting her.

“Y-Yeah…” She manages to answer after a few minutes of staring at the wet ground and making sure that she won’t have another episode. “Thank you,” she tells him as she wipes her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, unable to look him in the eye just yet as he pulls away.

_God_ , she thinks as she feels heat climbs up high to her cheeks. _This is horrible._

However, as embarrassed as she is now, she’s definitely more concerned over the fact that she’d instantly gotten nauseous the minute the ghosts had stopped chasing them.

_It came out of nowhere_ , is the first thing she takes note of. _And it hadn’t even been the first time. Something’s definitely wrong_ . She’d puked her guts out at least _three times_ for the past day, and that’s already one too many times already. She’d blamed it on suddenly being transported into this world and the less than ideal welcoming to it, but now— _now_ , it can hardly be just that.

Then, just as her thoughts trail off at that, the lightbulb in her head suddenly turns on.

_The rhythm game_ , she realizes, feeling as if she’d just entered big brain mode. _Every time I get dizzy, it’s always after those stupid circles disappear._

She can’t deny the plausible relationship there, not when the evidence is so starkly _there_.

_But what triggers the vomiting?_ She mainly wonders about, remembering what had just happened the other night in Ramshackle Dorm when the ghosts had harassed them. _The rhythm game turned on, but why didn’t I vomit?_ She’d remembered feeling particularly light-headed at that time, but the burning sensation that usually climbed up to the back of her throat never came.

Unfortunately, she’s drawn out of her own musings over this fucked-up phenomenon when she feels a certain tail curl around her ankle.

She looks down at Grim who’d inched closer to her for some reason, and she follows his gaze.

Ah.

“You wanna talk about who started it? Huh? Well, it’s ‘cause _you_ wouldn’t clean!” Deuce yells, somehow having gotten angry in the span of the time she’d been distracted and engaged in an argument with Ace.

“Yeah, I can admit that, but why should _I_ have to clean?!” Ace yells back, his brows furrowed deeply. “In the first place, it was that furball that burned the Queen of Hearts’ statue!” 

Grim jolts to attention at that, his tail tightening around her. “Ffgna, me?! But _you_ were the one who started making fun of me!” He hisses, his eyes burning as brightly as the flames in ears. “That’s why, don’t you dare put the blame on me, you stupid-haired punk!” 

Ace bristles at that comment, his eyes somehow _glowing_ in the dark, and he opens his mouth. “At least I’m not—!”

Whatever he was about to say is immediately cut off when Deuce speaks up again.

“The both of you!” Deuce snaps, his teal eyes narrowed angrily. “Do you even understand the situation we’re in right now?!” He demands, his hands clenching and unclenching from his sides as if he’s stopping himself from doing something he might regret. “We’ll get expelled if we don’t come back with a magical crystal by morning!” 

“Fnyah!” Utters Grim as he flinches back. “No need to yell!”

Ace, on the other hand, is completely unbothered by Deuce’s ire.

“Sheesh. You can stop with the patronizing, you know?” Ace complains, rubbing the back of his head as if he’s getting a migraine from all of this. “You’re _really_ ticking me off.”

Deuce takes a step forward, looking about ready to throw hands right then and there, and that’s when Erika decides to tune them out.

_Really_ , she thinks with a shake of her head, honestly too tired at this point to stop them. She turns around to sit on the boulder, _seriously_ regretting that she had cleaned the bathrooms instead of sleeping. 

However, just as she’d resolved herself to dozing against the wall until they stopped arguing, she snaps her eyes wide open when she suddenly hears the echo of a distinctly inhumane voice.

"̶̘͓̠̪̃̈͜.̵̩̤̫̆̔.̶̡̤̳͛̏͗͂͐̕w̸̉̄́̔̔ͅo̸͔͋̓n̴̗͑́'̸̫͖̺̺̔̀̌ţ̴̭̤̘͙̕.̵̢̼̍̒̔̿̓.̸͔̣̫̭̤͛̋͑.̵͚̒i̸̢͕̪̻̜͂̈̌v̶̢̙͍͙͍̈́̽̉̑͜é̸̦͔̮́̈́̚͝͝.̴̮̍̂̀͐.̴̳̋.̵͖͑̂͛̌̍w̴͝ͅo̶͙͐́̌̚"̶̥̲̰̞̌͊

_W-What the fuck?!_ She thinks, swiftly rising to her feet to look around. She notices that the others have ceased their arguing in favor of looking around as well, so she’s sure that she hadn’t been imagining that.

"̴̯̽̊̈́̄͂S̷̡͎͚̦͈͇̉̓̈͑͐̈͗t̶̡̺̺̳͙̩͌̾̈́̊.̸͙̆̒̂̔͑.̵̱̉.̶̥̞̊͌̍ờ̸̡̖͐͝ṉ̷̗̱̗̇̂͐́͊̕̕ȩ̴̱̱̺̘̐͐.̵̢̛̫͒̈͜.̵͉̖̀̉́͛.̶̧͎̜̯̈́̅̾̚͝.̵̨͉͕̟̎͜.̸̡̮͚͙̰̌ş̸̻̬̣̃ş̸͔̘͕̃̿̿̄s̵̢̗̪̭͕̺̹͗͌̽s̶̘̬̆.̴͕̏.̷̱̙͔̳̍͂̍͜.̶̨̝̘̥̼̈́̎.̵̖͎̳͔̏̂͂m̴̢̲͉̪̘̻͗̈́͋̉͜i̴̗͕̹͆̒̕͠͝͝͝ņ̴͕̹̖̳͓̎̃̔́͘͜͝ȩ̴̣̅.̶̧̢͈͖͎̼͛̿.̶͙̫̥̙͔͉̈̓̃̒̏͐̉ͅ.̶̖͍̃͊"̵̡̘̗̭̤̲̟̊̅͛͊͊͠

She warily takes a step back just as Deuce comments, “That voice, it’s...getting closer?”

As one, all four of them look into the dark chasm that leads to the rest of their mine, three of which wondering what kind of being could make such a guttural sound while the remaining one is already gearing up to run.

_Shit, shit, shit_ , thinks Erika, crouching down to unwind Grim’s tail from around her leg.

And then, much to their collective horror, some _thing_ emerges from the darkness with a powerful roar that quakes the ceiling overhead.

"̶̼̦̙̋S̴̻̅̀̃̈́̎̔̚t̶̘͉͋͋̋̓͛ͅö̸̥̪̻͔͓̠̟́̓̄͝ṋ̶̰̈̆̂͆̋e̷̬͂.̴̛͕̫̌̍.̷͓͒̋.̵̭̩̪̭͓̆.̵̨̓̽̎͘I̴͓̥͔͓̻͌̚S̷͔̟̟̿̒̍͋̇̿͜ ̶̢̮̗͈͚̹͑̂̈̔͗͝Ḿ̶̡͈̦̬̝̦͘I̵̼̖̐͊I̸̡̩͗́͋̇̇̕I̸̟̍̉̕I̸̼̯̬̻͋̓͒̈́̋̂Ĩ̷̠̰̱̜̹̤̽̐Ḯ̸̺̰̦̹͌̑̾Į̶͓͚̤͔̫̦̆̌̌̃̊͊I̷̦̖̞̙͚͈̿I̷͉̣̰̯͙̓́͌̋͒͘͝N̷̠̎̔̓̌̊͑͜͠E̴̥̲̟͙̩̗͗̐͐̎͐͛̒E̵̘̼̦̋̑̋͝E̷̡̤̘̬͚͑̾͝È̷̠̝̩̺̓͋͌̕͘È̷̲̃̌͌E̷̢̡͖̘̩̫̲̔!̵̟̠͇̏̐͘!̵̘̳͈͙̙͕͋͘͝!̶̢͉̉̈͂̉̅̊̈́!̷̢̡̮͙̮̈́͒̊"̶̛͚̙̪͔͎̞̒̿͒͊͝

A gigantic and monstrous being slinks its way out of the abyss and comes to a wobbly stop just a few meters away from them, dripping black sludge from where it stands on its inhumane form.

Erika’s wide eyes are locked onto the massive crack running through the creature’s glass head, watching as a thick and viscous liquid drips from it and paints the collar of its red out a deep black.

A sudden flash of light catches her attention and she moves her gaze towards the ominously-glowing lantern in the creature’s hand.

“W-What the hell is that thing?!” Deuce exclaims, already holding his magical pen in a shaky grip. 

“No idea! Crowley never said anything about this!” Grim screeches and, much to her surprise, whirls around to face her. “Erika! We gotta get outta here, quick!” He exclaims before, and much to her even greater astonishment, _leaps_ into her arms.

She flinches, of course, at the sudden contact, but she regains her grasp of reality easily enough and wraps her arms around Grim in order to firmly hold him against her chest.

“Yeah,” she agrees, tightening her grip so as to make sure he wouldn’t suddenly slip out the minute she sprints. “Let’s get outta here _now_.”

“Wait!” Ace suddenly halts them before they could so much as flee. “Didn’t it just mention a ‘stone’?!” 

_EVFUDCXNHFCNX_ , thinks Erika as Grim arms jolts to attention in her arms, cursing Ace for giving the two other people here a reason to _not_ run away.

“Eh?!” Exclaims Grim.

And then, as if life has a way of making things even _harder_ for her, the giant and clearly overblotted creature roars out,

"̸̟̾͘S̶̢̬̮̔t̴̡̯̗͈̘͖͔͂.̶͚͙̿͌̋͗.̴̣̹̭̚.̵̡̛͉̻̐̽̊͘ǒ̸̺̝̙̞̺̰̦̽̿̅̾̕̚ṋ̸̱̥̬͔̝̜̿è̵̺͙̔,̵̛̣̝̄͜ͅ ̶̛̫̱̮̑̿̇̂̽w̷͙͐̇̆̾̐ô̶̧̭͓̹̏̿̃̚͜͠ǹ̵̨̨̝̠̰͎͚́̍̽'̶̜̜͓͔̖̐̊̌̈̈̕͝t̷̹̋͆̿̔̚.̸̥̗̯̯̬͇͋͌͂̔̌͝͠ͅ.̴̢͈͉̌̑̅͆̑͋̑͜͜.̴̫͚̜̍͂g̵̬̝͈̿̈͠ị̷̻̬͕̹̾͛̈̀v̵̙̞͕̏͑̈́̄́ͅę̴̺̬̜͈̣̜̐̏.̶̢̳̯͔̝̦̑̊ͅ.̸̨͙̫͈͙̲̟̕.̵̰͊̎̅̓̈́̚!̴̝͋"̴̣̇̔͌͋

“So there really _are_ magical crystals left!” Deuce shouts, sounding relieved, and, crazily enough, he positions himself so that he’s facing the monster, looking for all the world _prepared_ to throw down with it. “Let’s go and find it!”

If she were wearing gloves, _she’d_ throw them at him because _is he fucking serious?!_

“You’ve gotta be kidding?!” Ace says on behalf of them all, because, yeah, is he kidding?! “Do you think we can fight against this, this, whatever it is?!” He gestures wildly at the creature.

A creature, who is holding a giant _pick-axe_ for fuck’s sake.

“But we’ll be expelled if we don’t bring back that stone!” Is Deuce argument, sending them all a fierce glare that makes his teal eyes _glow_. “So, I’m going! And none of you can stop me!” He announces, his mind already made up.

In spite of his bold declaration, Erika can hardly find herself to be _impressed_ with it.

So, just before Deuce could so much as _throw_ himself silly straight through the monster’s pick-axe, she reaches out and gets a good and firm grip on the back of his collar and gives it a mighty pull because _fuck. No_.

_You’re a fucking cast character_ , she thinks, enraged even as Deuce goes “Guh—?!” from his collar snagging around his throat and nearly choking him as he’s dragged back. _If you die, do you know how many people will cry?! Think of all of your fans, heck, your family, for fuck’s sake!_

“We,” she starts, making sure her words coming out bitingly and amplifying her frustration, her tiredness, her hunger, her fucking _sleepiness_ to fuel her irritation. “Are getting out of here. _Now_ ,” she hisses at Deuce, regardless that he nearly has a whole head over her height. 

“But—!” Deuce protests, easily ripping himself free from her grasp and coming to tower over her. “The _crystal!_ We have to get it or else—!”

And then, out of nowhere, they’re suddenly pushed off to the side.

“Wha—” Comes out of her mouth, but she snaps it close in favor of glaring at the perpetrator. “What was that for?!” She demands, steadying herself on her feet because _ouch?_

“Gee, thanks, Ace!” Ace sarcastically remarks as he rises to his feet. “We would have been butchered if you didn’t save us!” He tries to mimic her voice, going for something higher-pitched than his usual tone.

_Save…?_ She glances past him, and all the colors on her face just drain out.

Because, right where they’d been, is an arched blade of the monster’s pick-axe gleaming at them from the sinister light of the monster’s lantern.

“Oi, Erika!” Grim tugs on her shirt to snap her out of her shock. “Look! Over there! Could that be what we’re looking for?” He asks her, pointing at something that is now evidently glowing in the dark chasm from where the giant monster had come from.

She follows the direction in which he’s pointing and, with a squint of her eyes, she realizes that it could very well be what they came here for.

_Like a star,_ she can’t help but compare it to, remembering Ace’s description of the magical crystal. _It really does shine like a star_.

Ace and Deuce must see it too because they shout out their own reactions.

“That is—!” Deuce cuts himself off, the words failing him there, but Ace is there to pick up after it with a, “—The magical crystal!”

However, their hopes are instantaneously shattered when the monster releases another shattering roar that quakes the entirety of the mines once more, sending tiny debris falling from the ceiling this time.

"̷̨͖̲̈̈́͝ͅŞ̸̢͚̭̦̬̻̽̈́̑̕ṯ̶̹̞̲̙̍͜ͅǫ̸̗̑͝.̸̡̏.̴̠̯̜̮͒͐͗̚͠.̷̨͇̭́̀̈̅̓̐̈n̴̨͈̭͈͓͋̓e̸̗͎͑̈͝.̶͕͚̗͇͙̋̂̒̂̕͘.̸̛̫̋̊̃͝.̵̝̻̇̉̅̍̚͠.̷̬̀̃̈́̌̂̀̇m̵̭̗̯̏i̴̢̺̹̦͊̓͝n̵̫͎̄̔̈́͗͂̕ẹ̸̢̯̱̳̠̰̒͋͛̌͝.̷̣̓̎͊͝͝͝.̸̡̲̭͓̖̺́̓͋̊̽̚!̶̦̤͋̑͑͌͜"̴̗͕̗͈̿͌̇̽͐̚

Reminded of their less than ideal situation, Erika quickly grabs Ace’s arm.

At the stunned look he sends her, she merely responds with a sharp tilt of her head towards Deuce, hoping he’d get it.

Much to her relief, though, Ace’s gaze flickers towards Deuce and he snaps his hand out to grasp the other boy’s arm.

The expression on Deuce’s face is a combination of surprise and disbelief.

However, he isn’t given much time to dwell on his emotions because, without further a do, Erika looks off towards the direction in which they’d just come from and—

With Grim in one arm, Ace’s arm in her hand, and Deuce’s yelling out protests in the background, she _runs for her goddamn life_.

  
 _I am not dying today_ , she thinks, her heart beating a mile away in her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I UPDATED THIS REALLY LATE AND I BLAME DISCORD AND THE CRAY TWST AU WE'RE TOO INVESTED IN.
> 
> Ily all too ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ Thank you for waiting teehee~
> 
> Common Name: Sword Lily


	33. Chloris barbata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, she thinks, gauging the situation that Ace and Deuce had forced themselves into. Aren't they just having fun there, haha.

In hows and whys that she has no way of answering, Erika and the rest eventually make it out of the hazardous mine in one piece.

However, she doesn’t stop just there.

To assure their relative safety from the Overblot monster, Erika drags them into the silent woods from which they’d emerged from what feels like so long ago and takes off in a random direction because there is _no_ fucking way she’ll be able to see anything in this kind of darkness. 

_I have to run, I have to run, I have to run,_ are the only words running through her head, her vision melding with the darkness, and the edges of her mind clouding up with only one sole focus.

_Go_.

“—y!”

_Escape._

“—ey!”

_Live._

“—HEY!”

The explosive pain that blooms fresh on her left cheek is enough to snap her out of her self-absorbed state. Bewildered by the sudden pain, she stumbles to a stop, her vision unsteadily two-layered and her ears a ringing mess.

_Wha—_ Is the beginning of her thoughts before something insanely heavy slams straight into her back.

With the breath quite literally knocked out of her lungs, she ungracefully collapses in a heap, her head miraculously not hitting anything on the way, and she defeatedly lies there with what she guesses are Ace’s and Deuce’s weight keeping her pinned to the ground.

In their miserable and tangled mess of limbs, she and boys release an incorrigible series of painful groans and moans as they struggle to unwind themselves from this human clutter that they’d forced themselves into

An unexpected squirming in her chest makes her squeak and reflexively pull back her elbow, which accidentally hits somebody

“Ow! What the—What was that for?!” Ace yells, his voice going directly into her ears and making everything _vibrate_ excruciatingly. 

Just for that yell, she purposefully pulls her elbow back, digging it deeply into the other’s stomach, but she jolts to attention when it’s _Deuce_ that shouts out this time.

“Ow! Ace, was that you?!” He demands and, by the sound of Ace's muffled yelling, he must have done something painful in retaliation.

Not wanting to get in the middle of something she’d unwittingly started, she crawls out from underneath the brawling duo and rolls so over so as to lay on the forest floor, uncaring if some animal had shat or taken a piss where her head is currently lying.

The squirming against her chest had stopped and she wonders what the hell had been there.

A weak mewl sparks her memory and, with wide eyes, she immediately sits up.

Grim, nearly pancaked underneath all of their combined weight, drift off into her lap with hardly any life in his eyes.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” she mutters, laying Grim as flat as she could on the forest floor. Her hands hover uncertainly over him, her tired brain processing at speeds she’s forcing it into, but she freezes when the flames in Grim’s ears suddenly spark out, growing in size for a moment, before falling into their normal size.

She watches, with bated breath and weary lungs, as Grim’s eyes roll back into place.

“G-Grim?” She uncertainly calls out, not touching him in case he reacts _badly_ to it.

At the sound of his name, Grim lolls his head towards her, looking up with dazed blue eyes.

And then, after a moment, the cloudiness in his eyes disappear and he finally focuses on her.

“Eri...ka?” He mumbles out, looking confused before comprehension finally dawns on his face. “Erika!” He immediately yells out as he gets up to his feet.

She winces at the furious look twisting his features and yelps when his pitchforked-tail swats her on the thigh.

“Ouch—?!” 

However, she isn’t allowed to dwell for too long because a little paw is pointed straight at her face and she inquisitively squints at it.

“You!” Grim angrily starts, swatting her again. “Do you know how HEAVY you guys are?! Did you forget about me, Erika?! I could have died from being squished into a pancake!” He rants, smoke curling around his mouth as the flames in his ears grow larger and larger in accompaniment to his rage.

In this kind of situation, Erika knows very well that she’s in the wrong. So, with a heavy heart, she submissively bows her head to the fuming Grim, looks directly at the floor, and mutters out an apology

“Haaaaaaaaaaaah?” Grim draws out, looking at her unimpressively.

“I’m _sorry_ ,” she says, much louder this time.

A tense silence pervades them after that, and the two of them pointedly ignore the roughhousing boys in the background.

“...I want tuna,” Grim petulantly says after a long while. “And I want it in that sandwich you made,” he specifies, kicking her gently in the thigh.

Erika briefly does the bread count in her head.

“Only up to two sandwiches,” is the condition she sets. 

Grim narrows his eyes. “Five!” He demands with a raise of his paws as if that would intimidate her.

“ _Three_ ,” she barters, willing to sacrifice her half for the sake of appeasing him.

“ _Five!”_ Grim argues, trying to make her agree with him.

“Only three,” she finalizes in a firm voice. “Or else we won’t be able to have lunch tomorrow. We have to _ration_ ourselves, Grim,” she explains as she fluffs the white fur on his chest.

“...Fine,” spits out Grim.

She sighs in relief, comforted with the fact that she’d managed to calm him down, then she turns her head to face the next problem waiting to be solved.

_Well_ , she thinks, gauging the situation that Ace and Deuce had forced themselves into. _Aren't they just having fun there, haha._

“Don’t screw with me!” Deuce yells, his fist bunching up a good handful of Ace’s hair and tugging on it with the clear intention of ripping those strands out. “I’d rather die than face expulsion! How dare you run home when there’s a magical crystal _right there!”_

“And so?!” Ace growls, kneeing Deuce in the gut and finally throwing the other boy off of him. “You talk big for someone worse at magic than me, you barking dog! If you wanna go so badly, then go ahead! But no way am I coming,” he snarls as he gets up on his feet to better tower over Deuce.

However, undeterred by the hit to the gut and the verbal smackdown, Deuce returns Ace’s fierce glare with one of his own.

The way their eyes glow, red clashing against teal, makes it appear as if there’s a line of electricity connecting their gazes.

“Then you’re a spineless coward!” Deuce declares, getting up to his feet as well and standing practically chest to chest with Ace.

Despite their very ridiculous positioning, neither of them appears willing to back down.

In the midst of this tense showdown, Erika’s brain has the gall to go, _ASDFBCXVHIUFJDN_ , at this very, _very_ , Adeuce-like moment even though she’s well aware of the absence of any sort of romantic implication there.

Still—

_How can they still look so pretty after a fight,_ she internally bemoans, her hands coming up to cover her face. It’s unfair, _really_ unfair, that they’re capable of looking so very fucking presentable while here she is, no better than a filthy rat rolling around in a bird’s nest at this point.

Erika lets them duke it out for a bit longer, honestly just enjoying the show at this point because, _Yeah, kick him in the shin, Ace! Punch him in the gut, Deuce! And ohhhh, they're starting to pull at each other's hair..._

Seeing that their physical wrestling has somewhat downgraded to hair-pulling and yanking on each other’s faces, Erika believes that now would probably be the most opportune time to intervene.

“Hey,” she calls out to them, trying to see if such a pathetic call would get their attention.

Obviously, it doesn’t, and her laziness doesn’t get paid off as usual. 

With a worn-out sigh, she gets up to her feet and stretches her hands high up in the air until she hears a solid cracking sound.

Grim utters a horrified, “Nyaerk?!”

She shoots him a bemused look as she settles her arms by her sides.

However, Grim continues to look at her as if she’d grown a second head.

Bewildered by his reaction, she decides to ignore it for now and moves her attention to the tiring boys.

With her patience delicately hanging on a thread, Erika snaps out to them, “Hey!”

The sound of her voice makes them freeze and look over to her; yet, they still have each other in their clutches.

Annoyed at this point, she flatly lays it out. “I know you guys have a lot of pent-up emotions right now, but, honestly, the more you guys spent your time here arguing like _toddlers_.” She puts emphasis on. “The more likely your expulsion will happen!”

The two of them rear back at that.

“T-Toddlers?!” Ace and Deuce exclaim.

She releases out a very long and wearisome sigh. “It’s true, though? Look at the two of you.” She vaguely gestures to them and patiently waits for the two of them to finally get a good look at each other and where exactly their hands are. It’s a bit amusing to see them leap away from each other as if they had _cooties_ or something. “Regardless! Whatever you’re arguing about, we’re _all_ at fault here. That’s why‚” she pauses, just to make sure that she still has their attention. “That’s why we have to start doing something productive instead of fighting!”

Deuce looks stricken, her words obviously hitting deep, and _good_. He better. Really. She’d honestly thought better of him, but he was just as heated as Ace! 

“B-But...what exactly can we do?” Deuce asks, timidly and very unwilling to blow her off her fuse.

Erika sighs as she holds her head in her hands, massaging her throbbing temples because _fuck_. She really should have chosen to sleep instead of cleaning the bathrooms.

“First, we have to come up with a strategy. A _good_ one,” she proposes.

Ace jolts. “Huh? Strategy?” His face twists. “You mean that whole getting along and working together sort?” She must make some kind of unimpressed expression because he narrows his eyes. “That’s lame, what the hell! How can you even say something so ridiculous with a serious face?!”

Deuce agrees in his roundabout kind of manner. “I refuse. No way am I working with this loser,” he spits at Ace who, very surprisingly enough, brings out the middle finger at him with a petulant stick of his tongue out.

“But…” Grim suddenly speaks up, his ears folding against his head when they all turn their burning gazes onto him. “Well, wouldn’t it be lamer to get expelled on the first day of school?”

Both Ace and Deuce flinch at that.

“Ugh...that’s…” Ace struggles for words, whereas Deuce is merely quiet as if completely understanding his predicament.

A silence overcomes them.

“Well,” Erika promptly breaks it when she sees that nobody is willing to break bread. “You heard him. Would you rather be lame, or lame, expelled, and an idiot?”

Deuce splutters. “Where did the idiot come from?!”

She gives him a silent yet knowing look, and he promptly presses his lips together.

She raises her brows at them. “Well?”

“...Fine,” mumbles Deuce after a long moment of silence.

At his acquiescence, Erika turns her attention to a mulishly looking Ace.

He raises his brows at her as if daring her to question him.

She merely blinks in return, unfazed, because at this point? 

They’re all out of options.

Ace must realize it too, because he closes his eyes and irately scratches at the back of his neck.

“Hahhhhh—Fine!” He agrees with a distinctly sour note. “We just have to get it over with, right?!” He looks at her then, an unimpressed look overcoming his features. “So, what’s your plan?” He asks in the kind of taunting voice that also asks, _What can_ **_you_ **_do?_

She smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> frvnxkz 33 chapters in and we finally have a bit of MC's fujoshi brain coming out hahahahaha. And finally—a chapter updated properly xD 
> 
> Imma rest tho for tomorrow then update again as usual <3 God, next chapter is gonna be such a doozy tho PFFT. None of you will expect my plan xD
> 
> Common Name: Swollen Fingergrass


	34. Philadelphus x virginalis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s all in here,” Ace tells her as he taps at his forehead with two of his fingers. “Plan Fan and Plan Can, right?” He says, grimacing when the words leave his lips. “What kind of stupid names are those?”
> 
> Even as she maintains a very severe expression, she’s internally giggling at her very ironic way of naming.

“Will this...even work?”

Erika glances at Deuce who’s gingerly holding in his hands a pickaxe, a nearly exact replica of the one that she has clenched between her fingers and palms.

It had been a pain in the ass to trek _all_ the way back to the abandoned house, and an even _bigger_ hurdle to locate these pickaxes amidst the dusty and cobwebbed interior of the house, but they’d eventually located a few that were questionably hidden under the beds for some reason…

...

_Why_ , she thinks, eyeing her own pickaxe that’s crusted over with rust at the blade.

It looks about ready to crumble into itself if she so much as uses it to hit a _stone_ , and she feels somewhat sad about its miserable state.

“It will,” is her reply, the lie slipping out of her mouth like butter. She’d read about the theories of the overblotted monster’s origin on the internet before, listened to the freaking _podcast_ about it, and even did her own dumb analysis about it on her online servers.

So, out of spite and pure petulance, it _better_ fucking work or else she’s coming at it with fucking pickaxe.

_As if_ , she snorts at her own wild thoughts, because _haha, yeah right_. That monster would have probably bludgeoned her into a pancake the minute she poked a hole through its drabby clothes.

The sensation of Grim coiling his tail around her calf snaps her out of her thoughts and she curiously looks down at the magical creature.

“You…” Grim starts as his tail tightens its grip. “Do you really think this plan will go as planned, though?” He asks, the faint trembling of his tail evident with how closely it’s wrapped around her calf. “I’m sca—No. I’m nervous. Just nervous,” he stammers out, his ears folded against his forehead with the flames there burning harmlessly about it.

Her gaze softens; however, just as she opens her mouth, somebody else cuts her to the chase.

“Haaaaaaah, you’re too stiff for being a chandelier-crasher,” Ace sniffs despite the amused smile dancing upon his lips. “Just follow my lead and get this over with,” he says as he points at himself with his thumb, a cheeky and nearly mocking wink aimed at Grim.

Grim immediately straightens his spine at that. “Hah?! If anybody’s gonna lead, it’s gonna be _me!”_ He furiously whispers, pointing angrily at the grinning first year.

With a sigh, Erika reaches out and pinches the scruff of Grim’s neck, making sure to get a good grip on him in order to prevent him from possibly throwing himself straight at Ace and giving away their location. 

“Okay,” she whispers before any one of them could start taunting the other. She glances past the bushes that they’re hiding behind and at the accursed overblotted monster slinking around the mine’s entrance. “You guys still remember our plan?” She asks, turning her eyes to Ace at this point to gauge his reaction.

The cocky smirk that he shoots her only heightens her worry.

“It’s all in here,” Ace tells her as he taps at his forehead with two of his fingers. “Plan Fan and Plan Can, right?” He says, grimacing when the words leave his lips. “What kind of stupid names are those?”

Even as she maintains a very severe expression, she’s internally giggling at her very ironic way of naming.

“That’s not the main issue here,” she is quick to change the subject. “When do you and Grim sneak off into the mines?” She queries in a near pop-quiz like manner, all for the sake of distracting him from her naming conventions.

“Right after you and Deuce do your little stunt and get that beast’s attention,” Ace answers in an irritatingly _duh_ tone.

“And how would you sneak into the mines?” She follows up with, raising her brows at him. 

“By quietly going around from behind the bushes.”

“And what if we fail to get that thing’s attention and it attacks us?” She leans in a bit to better look up at him, her eyes boring deep into him.

Undeterred, Ace’s red eyes meet her own.

“Retreat then Plan Can,” he scoffs after a moment, his gaze flickering away from her.

“Good.” She nods, satisfied with her assessment. “Any questions?” She asks, directing it to the rest of their party.

_Party_ , she thinks, a small smile pulling her lips upwards as she imagines what would their classes be like if this were in a more fantastical setting.

“...But why do I have to go with you?” Deuce asks out of the blue and, when she turns her gaze on him, he’s frowning at the old pickaxe in his hands.

The smirk that curls on Ace’s lips is anything but kind. 

“Probably ‘cause you might mess it up in there,” he taunts, making annoying ‘ _Ha-Ha_ ’ to get a rise out of Deuce.

Deuce narrows his eyes, looking prepared to take a step forward and sick that pickaxe into Ace, but she gets a good grasp on the sleeve of his white button-up and halts him.

_Oh,_ she thinks for a moment and realizes that...she’d left his blazer in the cafeteria. _Oops_.

Still, she pushes that thought to the back of her head and explains, “It’s because both Grim and Ace are sneakier than us.” _And faster too,_ she adds in her head but doesn’t say it aloud in case Deuce violently protests about it. “Plus, I need you and your cauldron magic to protect me if ever anything goes bad.”

She sends him a shaky smile that twitches at the ends, positive that she’s doing that to reassure herself more than him.

Deuce’s gaze falls back to the floor, his cheeks flushing a bit from the cold of the wind that brushes by them, then he looks up at her with furrowed brows and a steely set of teal eyes.

“You can count on me!” He tells her in a resolute whisper.

She huffs out a small laugh at his response before she turns her attention to the giant overblot that they’re supposed to face and, somehow, _defeat_.

“Okay, team,” she whispers, gripping the handle of her pickaxe even tighter. “Let’s give it a show it won’t forget.”

.

..

…

..

.

A broken yet recognizable tune flows through the air, carried out by vibrations of a hum.

The overblotted monster immediately turns its entire body to face the source of the music, its attention clearly garnered by the sound.

  
  


"̷̡̢̩̣̪̦͉̘̦͛̀̾̈́̇̐̐̒̒͜͠͠ͅŞ̸̡̢̞̪̰̯̻̘̖͊͐̐͛̏̐̄͒̅͜ͅt̶̤̆̆͗͂̂o̷̡̖̮͙̹̮͖̘̭͍̍͛͌̂̒͜n̶͔͖̔̋̇̆̓͠͠e̶̜̭̼̖͔̻̭̤͔̿̊͊̃̿̊̈́̆̓̈́̚.̵̡̜̺͙̹̱̽̐ͅ.̷̯̜̮͕̪̱̠̥̻̱̮͖̌̿̿̌.̸̲͇̞̯͔̦̽̇̑͒̚.̴̢̥̞̦͇̩͕͚̟̟̥͂͛̅̒͝Ṡ̵̛͕̥̘̤̘͑̌̇͐̊̎̕͜͜t̵̳͐̌̀͊̌̌̓é̴̛͈͚̹̋̊̄͛̄͘a̶̡̧̩̲͇̥̪͙̞̾̆̃̈́̕ͅl̶̢̛̹̮͎̜͈̱̹̺͌̎͊̋̚͜͜͝.̶̢̥͇̘̰̹̙̥͓̰͇̖̐.̸̺͍̌̽͑̅̂̾̉̀͠.̶̢̠͙͙͍̻͙̌̏̊͋͘.̸̨̞̐̅̐̌͛̽̈̾̚̕ę̵̟̤͉̳̲͓̫͓͇̮̇͊ͅr̴̗͚̊"̸̡̫͚͎̝̪̌͛̍̆̉̈̕͘͝

  
  


With her lungs _shaking_ from not only having to hum but also from her nerves becoming a mess of butterflies flying in her gut, Erika courageously stands up to her full height from her crouch.

She feels Deuce follow her lead and, together, they take the needed steps out from the overgrowth.

She somewhat regrets bringing the pickaxes, especially when the overblotted monster rears back and roars out a scrambled yell of _Stone stealer!_ , but if she’s gonna do this, then she’s gonna do this _right_ for fuck’s sake.

She pauses in her humming, just enough to intake a very deep inhale, then opens her mouth to yell out, 

_“Heigh-ho!”_

As much as she wants to dwell over her embarrassment of her voice cracking, now is _definitely_ not the time.

Deuce, bless him, goes accordingly to plan and shouts out his own response of, “ _Heigh-ho!”_

She takes a moment to appreciate his severity over this situation before she turns her attention to overblotted monster in order to gauge its reaction; yet, in contrast to the rampage that she’d been expecting it to go into, it’s just...standing there. With its grip on the lantern and pickaxe lax.

Tentatively, she cups her mouth with one hand and yells out another, “Heigh- _Ho!"_ , to it, making sure to put emphasis on the last syllable. 

The overblotted monster turns its body to face her fully, and she starkly feels the shudder that wracks its way down her spine when she gets a very good glimpse of how the black fluid encased within its glass head drip out of the massive crack in an eerie _drip, drip, drip_ manner. 

Then, much to her absolute horror, the monster drops its lantern in order to grip the pickaxe with both of its wiry hands.

She watches as it raises it high above its head, the tip of its blade gleaming sharply in the moon’s light, and she wonders if she should probably run _now_.

Yet, just as she feels Deuce’s hand get a good grip on her arm in order to most likely tug her away, the overblotted monster suddenly speaks up.

"̷̢̡͈̞͔̱͕̲̫̤̚͠ͅH̵̭̋̿̿̋̎͗͝ͅè̵̪͕̺̹̇͗̐i̶̡̻̻͙̲̬̜̫͕͚͌̿̐̑̄͌͜ǵ̴͙͕̦̣̙͎̇̌̊͋ḥ̶̛̹̜̘͆—̴̧̝̥͙̗͚̖͍̩̎̃́́͐̓̆̃͝"̷̛̛͎̝͈̉̈́̇̃̕͜

  
  


Her eyes widen at its guttural response, and she takes a few steps back with Deuce to safely watch as it delivers its pickaxe hard into the ground, sending vibrations running underneath their feet.

"̴̧͔̫͖̅̋̇̑̓͝͝—̸̧͖̤̼̹͖̗͉̝̌̉̐̚͝H̴̲͎̾͗͆̑̊͜ŏ̴͇͓̅̄͘!̸̝̥͙̞̺̬̻̎͛̀̉͘͜"̵͚̜̪͙̙͔̪͙̔̀͂͆̂̔̂

In spite of its pickaxe embedded deeply into hard soil, the overblotted monster merely plucks it out of the ground, which had been at a considerably safer distance from them.

Then, it looks up at them, as if waiting for something.

_Holy fuck_ , she thinks even as a wide and shaky smile spreads across her because, _Holy fuck._

_It worked!_

She glances at Deuce who’s also bewilderingly staring up at the monster before he turns his wide-eyed gaze to her when he notices her staring.

She grins, most probably showing her teeth at this point but who _cares_.

She looks back up at the overblotted monster, feeling something _feral_ go wild next to her heart because—

_She’d just proven that a few theories were right!_

And then, just to prove it again, she brokenly yet excitedly sings out, “We dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig from ear~ly morn’ ‘til night!”

And then, much to her fucking _delight_ , the overblotted monster roars out,

  
  
  


"̵̢̡̲̘͈̜̳̘͗̈́̄̃̃̓̽̔̔̈́W̴̺̺̊̚͝e̵̡͖̦͔̗̘̺͋̍̇̌̚ ̵̡̛͚͖͚̹̯̦̩̺͋ͅd̸̻͖̦̦̜̣͇͔̀͊̾̿͐͋̅į̷̡̠̣̻͓̀̿́͒͘g̴͚̍̓ ̷̧͎͇͎̯͋ͅd̸̡̠̒͊i̴̡̥̞̮̪̭͖̤̻͚̿̑̓̒̽͗̄̃̈́̈́̿g̴͉̼͖̞͙̤̫̟͚̞̎̎ ̷̧̩̘̜͉̣̬̞̹̓͋̾̐͝͠d̸̤͕͇͓̱͇͙̺̾͊̐̀̔ĭ̵̖̙͇̯̜̱͎͋̎̏̿̚g̴̜̦̝̠̟͚̯̟͝ ̴̨͓̥̯͎̳̣͐̊ḋ̸̹̌̃̈́͂̒̽̐͛̈́i̷̭̗͍̦͈̙̯͑͒̄g̵̗̝͇̪̙̺̖͕͓̱̍̈̆͊̽̉͑͝ͅ ̷̡̗̞͖̳̲̊̐͑̏̂͑̔̓͗ḓ̸͙̥̭͚̼̦̠͌i̵̛̖͙͇͆̑͆̐̚g̶͖̭̻̿ ̴̛̙͖̳̫̠̜͇̋͑̆̋͆̚͝͝ͅḋ̷̖̹̊̎͠i̴̡̨͎͛̎͑̂̃̐̌̅̕͝g̸̞͍̳̠̥̿ ̸͙̤̣̰̪̱̰̟̈̄d̴̡̛͖̹͇͛̏̑̄͋̾̈́̂́i̵͙̭̙͐̽̋g̶̡̭̦̘̬͎̒̈̽͜ ̸̩̜͈̩̟͒̀͂͛̕u̷͇͆̄̇̍̌p̸̗̟̖̟̘̥͍̟͗̏̓̎̄̒̌͐ͅ ̷̙̖̝̜͈̗̗̓̔̏̏̉̋̈́̚̚̕e̵̮͎̜̔̄͊͐͐͐v̵̙̭͙̦̮͌̋ͅȇ̷̡̻̲̪̳͎̑̈̓̆͝r̵̢̢̳͓̖̼͍͐̚ͅy̶̭̐̔̅̽̿̈̕͘ẗ̴̛̘̞̬͉́̈́̅̐͝ͅh̷͎̤͂͛͂͝͝i̶̤̯̰̫̓͐̈́̓̄̔̍̆͠n̴̡͔̤̥̲̪̠͉̅̑̓̆̓͂̊̂ͅg̴̛̥̩̽̊̄̌̀͊̎́̅̏ ̴̨̧̝͈̪̞̯͚͈̘̻̿͗̕ï̷̡͕̳̣͚̗̟͍̰̭̽̊n̷̡͍̱̳̞̮̯̺̳̓̅̈́̏̈́̀ ̸̡̬̙̖͔͗̔͒̄̉̈́̾s̵̘͖̻̊̀̒̀̆͝ḭ̸͙̝̕g̷̡̬̱̬͍̫̬̜͈̎̔ͅh̷̢̛͉̹̝͙̲̔̎̄̀̉̃̓͝t̸̢̡̨̜͇̳̬̳̰̭̬͆͗͑͒̈́̾̚.̸̡̞̳̼̮̮̳̪̼̞͒͒̑̾̾͜͠͝.̴̢̛̜̰̺͙͕̩͎̎͂́̇̾͗͊͠.̸̼̻͈̳͇̘̼͕͓̖̭́̓̑̍͑̊͛͌͘!̵̗̘͔̮̍́̽̿͌̈́̑̊͠"̴̛̛̞͓̈́̓̓̀̕

  
  
  
  


_Yes, yes, yes!_ She thinks, continuing to belt out random lines from one of her childhood’s infamous songs to the overblotted monster who, amazingly and unbelievably enough, sings along _with_ her. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Ace and Grim creeping along behind the monster’s back, the both of them looking back at her and Deuce one more time, as if confirming their relative safety, before they sneak off into the Dwarf’s mine.

_Please get back here soon_ , she silently wishes, because even she isn’t able to sing _forever_.

Regardless, she looks up at the overblotted monster, a well of mixed emotions stirring inside of her chest, and proceeds with her less than talented intermission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh~ That rest was really good ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ Thank you all for being so patient! I just needed a break and I might stick with this kind of schedule since we're in the 30s of the chapter hehe (But I might pick it up if ever my schedule becomes clearer hehe).
> 
> I'm sure ya'll know what Plan Fan and Plan Can are short for hehe (just add -on at the end hehe)
> 
> Common Name: Virginal mock-orange


	35. Capra hircus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It...kind of resembles a puppy.
> 
> A very excited puppy.
> 
> A very excited puppy that could maul me once I stop singing, she reminds herself the moment her heart goes awww, how cute like the traitorous bastard that it is.

"̸̧̻̍Ḣ̷̨̡̤̪̣̃̒E̴͖̲̰͖̍̃Ī̷̹̯̪͕̝͘ͅĠ̶̦͖̽͠ͅH̵̯͒͝͝-̸̧̧̗̗͙̥̌H̷̖̃́O̶͚̿̄̌̀̃!̴̯͌̆͆"̵̤̙̬̻͇̗̃͐͊͌

“Heigh...ho!” Deuce weakly mirrors back, raising his arm up as high as he can in a mockery of a fistbump.

In response, the overblotted monster roars out a guttural chain of incorrigible words as it brings down its pickaxe, the large blade easily cleaving into the earth and sending vibrations through the floor that they feel underneath their feet.

Once the monster pulls out its pickaxe, it eagerly turns to face her and bellows out once more, "̸̧̻̍Ḣ̷̨̡̤̪̣̃̒E̴͖̲̰͖̍̃Ī̷̹̯̪͕̝͘ͅĠ̶̦͖̽͠ͅH̵̯͒͝͝-̸̧̧̗̗͙̥̌H̷̖̃́O̶͚̿̄̌̀̃!̴̯͌̆͆"̵̤̙̬̻͇̗̃͐͊͌

Not one to be a party killer nor a seeker of getting pancaked to death, Erika is quick to yell out, “H-Heigh-Ho!” 

The voice that comes out of her cracks, as usual, but it’s notably weaker than before and very much strained.

Knowingly, she and Deuce glance at one another.

_We won’t last another fifteen minutes at this rate,_ she thinks, her arms trembling as she struggles to hold up the pickaxe. _No, at this rate, we’ll hardly be able to make it back to NRC._

She glances up at the monster who’s slowly swaying to some tune. The black slime making up its body jiggles with every new wave that undulates, sending a sort of hypnotic motion.

It...kind of resembles a puppy.

A very excited puppy.

_A very excited puppy that could maul me once I stop singing,_ she reminds herself the moment her heart goes _awww, how cute,_ like the traitorous bastard that it is.

A poke to her upper arm captures her attention.

With her brows raised, she turns her head to the right and immediately sees Deuce nervously waiting for her.

Silently and very discreetly, he points at the overblotted monster, his features creased into an expression of concern and inquiry.

She glances back at the jiggling creature who’s too lost in its own world to really care to notice them whispering.

She turns her gaze back to Deuce and lowers it to his chest where his magical pen sits idly from within the pocket.

Deuce must see what she’s staring at because he nods firmly though if a bit hesitantly.

_Oh God_ , she thinks, the butterflies in her chest just _itching_ to flutter its way out of her mouth. _Did I tire him enough that he might not have enough energy to use magic?_

She honestly hopes that’s not the case.

A sudden blurring movement from the corner of her vision catches her interest and, hoping it isn’t some random woodland creature about to get in the middle of something particularly _nasty_ , she slides her gaze to it. 

It isn’t, thank her stars.

It’s something _better_ , for once.

_Grim! Ace!_ She shrieks in her head, a bloom of relief unraveling within her chest at the very sight of them skulking out of the mine’s entrance. She opens her mouth, prepared to call out to them, but she is quick to forcefully press her lips together

_Idiot,_ she rebukes herself, sluggishly pinching herself in the arm. _We don’t want to give their presence away just when we’re almost done!_

However, despite her being able to restrain herself just in time, it would all unfortunately be for not. 

Because, the very moment her gaze meets Grim’s, she sees the way those eyes _light up_ even with the distance between them.

It is then that, with great clarity, she knows they’re fucked.

She opens her mouth for an entirely different reason this time, taking a panicked step forward; by the time the first word leaves her throat, though, it’s already too late.

“ERIKA!!!” Grim enthusiastically calls out to her as he jumps up and down, his arms raised up high to better show the large and glittering stone in his paws. “LOOK! WE GOT THE MAGIC CRYSTAL!” He cheers, waving the stone around with even more energy, making the magic crystal’’ prismatic light scatter into rays of pretty colors. 

The silence that follows soon afterward is so quiet that anybody could have heard a pin dropping to the floor.

With dread curdling deep within her gut, Erika watches the way Grim realizes what he’d done, sees how he immediately stiffens up as if he’d been hit with a wooden board.

If she were any closer, she’d bet that he’d have muttered an _uh-oh_.

"̸̝͖̣͉̳̱̈́̂̃M̶̤̘̟̿̇̇a̷̤̞̬̋̈́͗̍̄͘.̸̦̖̺̽̅̎̎͝.̵͙̫̀̆.̷̹̝̮͎̙̕ģ̷͕͖̜̹̑̂i̵̢̖̙̙̙͙͗̉̀͝c̶͚̯̥͛͋͊ ̶̨̡̧͖̏̆̑͘C̸̡̲̳̼̬̲̔͑̓r̸͚̣̐͗͝y̷̫̿.̷͓͖̘̤̥͋̊̌.̵̠̘̐͂̍.̶̯̬͗̿͗͠s̷̝͍͌̾ț̶̠̣͑͊͂̈́a̵̪͆̐l̷̪̻͛̎̓͘.̶̛̱̤̺̽̾̽̍.̴̗̲̺̿̽.̴̦̰͑̀̑̓"̶͖̝͖̗̙͎͛

She snaps her gaze to the overblotted monster who’d just uttered those words and witnesses in horror as it twists upon its gelatinous body in order to face the other duo.

“Grim, you idiot!” Screeches Ace as he rears back a few steps, his eyes widened to nearly the size of dinner plates. “Why did you have to shout?!”

“I forgot—!” Grim protests as he glares in Ace’s direction. “Besides! We would have been caught anyways with how loud you walk!” He accuses of, brandishing the magic crystal at Ace as if it were a weapon.

And Ace, in spite of his current predicament, has the time to look affronted.

“Me?! But you—”

Whatever he was about to say is, unfortunately, deafened by a loud roar of, "̴̯͕͉̼̪̀̍̈Ş̶̧̖̇t̶̖͙̲̊̔̒̕o̷̧̗͍̞n̵̜̱̮͚̈́̃̔̕ȅ̴̯̪͔̯̿.̴͇̦̻͙̝͉̈́.̷͕̠͙̗̣̂.̶̰͉̞̯͍͐̎͝͠.̵̛̘̬̑̾̓̄̎S̷̺͊Ţ̵̡̼͈͓̃͆̄Ë̶̜́̒̆̕͝Ạ̴̝̞̦̿L̴̬͛͆È̵̢͖̱̚͜R̷̨̹͉͖̽!̵̡̞̦̱̃"̴̢͖͓͖̒̌́͛́͑

  
  


Both Ace and Grim have the wits to cease their argument and look back at the overblotted monster who is now _furious_ _._

"̷̡͍̲̗̫͍̍̈́Ḏ̴̟̖̓͛̾̔̊͝O̸͇̝̞̳͌̂͝͝͝N̸͕̩̻̻̔̚'̵̼̥̖̓̀T̷̨̎́̉"̷͎͉̯̒͛̄̕͘͝ͅ The monster starts with as it slinks closer to Ace and Grim. "̶͕̕T̴̨̛̮̗̙̤͙͒̾Ô̷̢̤̖͍͕̮̅̉͊͛͠Ų̴̬̳̟̙̺̉̈́̓̕C̵̨̛̞̩̮̤̥͒͛̎H̴̻͛́!"̸̺̬̯̮̹͖̅̎͗͘̚͝

With that guttural bellow, it hefts its large pickaxe over its head and prepares to strike the duo.

However, before it could so much as twitch a muscle, the monster is suddenly hit at the back with something that makes it freeze in its tracks.

Erika stiffens, recognizing the pathetic weapon that falls to the floor in a variety of pieces after having collided with the monster’s back.

With wide, wide eyes, she turns her attention to Deuce who regains his footing and stands to his full height. 

He is, she notices, one pickaxe less.

Horrified, she robotically turns back to the overblotted monster—

—the overblotted monster who is looking right at them.

_Fuuuuuuck_ , Erika thinks and, with her heart beating wildly in her chest, takes a step back.

She doesn’t realize that she’d lost her grip on her pickaxe until it's too late.

The rusty tool slips out of her loose grasp and drops to the floor with a very audible _thud_ , its blade breaking apart into several pieces with how rusty it’s gotten over the years of not being used.

_Fuck_ , she thinks once more as she raises her gaze from the broken tool to the corrupted beast gliding towards them, its grip on its own pickaxe much firmer than before with the obvious intent to punish the ‘stone stealers’.

She definitely did _not_ think this through.

Suddenly, the next second she blinks, she’s no longer staring at the frightening vision of the monster approaching them but instead at a white-clothed back.

It takes her far longer than she’d liked to admit to register just _whose_ back is she staring at.

_Deuce_ , she realizes, glancing up at his dark blue hair.

“Don’t worry,” Deuce tells her, his eyes pinned on the overblotted monster. “I won’t let it take a single step past me,” he vows and, even from his back, she’s able to see how he adjusts the black gloves on his hands.

…

_As cool as that is_ , she thinks, the logical part of her brain just _destroying_ the moment. _Sorry, but, I hardly think you’ll win in a fistfight against that…_

Her thoughts come to a stop, though, when she notices the beast come to a full stop before them. Her eyes widen when she sees it raise its pickaxe, the wicked edge gleaming at them, and she reaches a desperate hand out in order to grip the back of Deuce’s collar, _anything_ to pull him away—

  
  


“Extra Large Tempest!” 

At that yell, a sharp _fwoooosh_ rings out through the air and, much to her astonishment, the wind surrounding them suddenly picks up its pace and circles around the overblotted in a glowing green gale force.

The overblotted roars in confusion as, when it brings its pickaxe down, the immense strength of the circulating wind forces it to reel back.

As it is dumbfounded by its predicament, another voice shouts out through the tumultuous chaos.

“Take this!” Grim’s familiar voice registers in her ears, and it is soon followed up with a brave declaration of, “Great Grim’s Fire Special! Fffgnnyaaaaaagh!”

Before her very eyes, a continuous stream of blue fire strings itself into the gale force, wrapping around and around and around until it blends it with the magical tornado in order to create a fiery and cyan storm so as to trap the overblotted monster within it.

“Erika!”

A sudden shout rips her attention from the beautiful combination of magic and she feels the nerves climbing up at the back of her throat settle down when she catches sight of Grim and Ace running towards them.

“Grim!” She calls out, turning to fully face him, and she opens her arms wide enough to accept him into her arms when he leaps at her. Although she’s forced to take a step back from his sudden weight, she recovers soon enough and presses him close to her chest.

Her fingers immediately sink into his hide, the velvety grey fur a warm comfort against her cold skin, and she feels a bit better now that she has him in her sight.

“Let’s get outta here!” Ace announces to them, his eyes wide and shifting from her to Deuce and back to her. “Our magic won't hold it off for that long! Let’s go!” He says, grabbing Deuce by the upper and her by the lower arm.

He doesn’t even wait for their response before he takes off running, dragging them away from the inferno and deep into the silent forest, his grip nearly bruising at this point.

Despite the rough manhandling, Erika has enough wits about her to know that following Ace is the superior option in this kind of hellhole.

A thunderous roar from the monster entices the curious part of her brain.

Yet, Erika doesn’t look back.

She knows very well that what she’ll see wouldn’t be worth it for her peace of mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Common Name: Goat
> 
> uwu. A very, very late chapter but I suddenly got a fever the other day (still am, actually, but it's not so bad and I got the urge to write a lot of things xD). I feel like I got sick because of a lot of things that stressed me out and, honestly, writing made me feel so much better uwu.
> 
> I hope you're all doing great wherever you guys are! ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡


	36. Octopoteuthis deletron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the fuck do these two eat?! She wails in her mind, honestly having had overestimated her strength, but goddammit she didn’t deserve this kind of humiliation!
> 
> ...Okay, maybe she did. Just a tiny bit, since she hardly pushed through with any of her arm and core days, but still!
> 
> This was sacrilege! 

Erika is _seriously_ having regrets about not sleeping last night.

“A-Ace,” she weakly pants out, struggling to keep up with his brisk pace especially with the grip he has on her that’s starting to turn just this side of painful. “W-Wait! Can’t you...slow down?!” She asks for.

Her chest is starting to hurt from all of this physical exertion, the familiar and very much unwelcomed stinging squeeze to her lungs alerts her that she’s just about to hit her limit.

“Just a little more!” Ace yells back, his grip on her tightening and making her wince at the sharp throb that echoes from there. “Just until we reach the mirror!” 

_I...I don’t think I’ll make it,_ she thinks, her insides churning _terribly_ at that very thought.

If she gives up now, there’s little doubt that she may as well be forfeiting her life right then and there.

If that’s the case, then she won’t ever be able to get back home, much less see her _family_.

_No—!_ She screams in her mind, forcing herself to move her legs despite the burning _everywhere_. _I have to live! I—_

A sudden crashing sound breaks that particular train of thought and, judging by the expression on Grim’s face as he peers over her shoulder, it isn’t anything good.

“Erika, hurry up!” He squawks into her ear, his tail that had been coiled around her arm stretching tautly across her skin and sure to leave some kind of marks. “That thing is gaining on us!”

With a deeply-set flame in every muscle in her body, she snaps, “Maybe _you_ should try running on your own instead of laying in my arms?!” 

“Nya! Right now?! Are you insane?!” Grim yowls as the pitchforked part of his tail swats her in the—

She nearly stops, mortified, but it’s only Ace’s dragging that reminds her to keep going.

“Did you just slap my boob?!” She involuntarily shrieks out, the sting on that part of her chest easily drowned out by her sheer mortification because _Grim, what the fuck?!_

“What?!” Grim snaps back at her, turning his narrowed eyes to look at her. “What’s the problem?! Don’t tell me you can’t handle a little hit like that!” 

At his blunt cluelessness, she opens her mouth but quickly closes it when a strangled sort of noise escapes her.

Does...Does Grim not know what he just did?!

_Or maybe_ , some part of her whispers, bringing a certain headcanon to light. _He doesn’t understand what he did?_

However, before she could so much as delve deeper into _that_ particular topic, another crashing sound resounds through the air, this followed with the sound of something heavy being distinctly thrown onto the ground.

Wisely, Erika doesn’t look back.

Whatever had happened _must_ be bad, especially if Ace and Deuce look over their shoulders to check what had just happened.

“What the—!” Comes out of Deuce in a choked yell. “It’s just shouldering past the trees like they’re nothing! What kind of monster is this?!” 

Grim makes another fearful whine close to her ear; yet, whatever command of _run faster!_ that he was about to give her is immediately drowned out by Ace’s triumphant shout.

“There’s the house!” Ace yells, unable to point at it with both of his hands occupied holding both her’s and Deuce’s arm. “Come on, guys! Just a little more!” He encourages them, his grip tightening even more that she’s sure _something_ must be bruising there. 

_Motherfucker!_ She screams at the jolt of pain that shoots straight up to her brain. _You don’t have to keep tightening your fingers like that!_

She opens her mouth, prepared to _actually_ berate him because enough is fucking _enough_ for Christ’s sake, but the words die on her tongue the minute a familiar wave of static courses through her brain in warm waves, leaving the very tips of her fingers tingling and the hairs at the back of her neck standing.

At the sight of those accursed glowing circles popping to life right before her eyes, an actual curse falls freely from her lips.

Seeing the arc of circles starting mid-way in the air and shooting straight to the floor in a graceful half-arc, Erika musters what strength she has left in her body and _throws_ herself onto the two boys.

_Thum! Thum! Thum! Thum! Thum!_

A series of rapid beats echo in her mind as all four of them tumble to the ground.

Just in time, too, because she not only _hears_ but also distinctly feels the abrupt ripple that cleaves straight through the air just shy of hitting her head with an ominous whooshing sound.

_Thud!_ goes whatever had been thrown.

Regardless of the groaning bodies beneath her own exhausted one, Erika quickly picks herself off of the ground and, with only one hand considering that she still has Grim safely carried in one, gets a good grip on the sleeves of Ace’s and Deuce’s clothes.

“Get up, get up, get _up!”_ She hisses, struggling to pull them up to the point that her arm trembles from their combined weight.

As if mocking her, a trail of glowing circles light up the path before her, its pattern leading right to the abandoned house with more cobwebs than stone for its roof.

“Ow, ow, ow, what the hell?!” Complains Ace as he wobbly pushes himself up from the ground. “Why’d you have to go and—”

Erika promptly deafens his words, her body automatically going into flight and flight mode because there is no such thing as _fight_ in her vocabulary right now. 

She briefly lets go of their sleeves, ignores the _oof!_ from both of the boys when their suspension disappears and plops them back down on the ground, and readjusts a panicking Grim around her neck. 

With both of her hands free, she reaches back down once more and gets a good and solid grip on the back of their tops then _pulls_.

Unsurprisingly, she barely manages to lift them an entire foot off of the ground.

_What the fuck do these two eat?!_ She wails in her mind, honestly having had overestimated her strength, but goddammit she didn’t deserve this kind of humiliation!

...Okay, maybe she did. Just a _tiny_ bit, since she hardly pushed through with any of her arm and core days, but still!

This was sacrilege! 

“Nyagh!” A squeak in her ear nearly makes her falter, but she manages to catch herself just in time and dig her heels into the ground. “It’s coming closer!” Grim alarms her.

“Distract it with your fire!” She orders him and, when she feels him hesitate against her shoulders, she repeats it in a firmer voice, “Grim! Distract it!”

“Grrrr...fine!” Grim growls, climbing up high on her head and _oof_ it’s like holding a basket full of fruits over her head. “Oi! Stay away from us!” Grim snarls, the anger in his voice directed towards the monster, before an apparent crackling sound reverberates through the air.

A sudden burst of heat explodes behind her, just far enough that she doesn’t get burned but also just near enough that she can feel the sudden temperature change seeping in through her shirt and licking sweat on her back.

"̴̱̭͖̹͍̉̌́̈S̷̛̪̐̀̐T̵̹̎̇O̸̳̔̊Ö̵̪́̌͝Ó̴̭̋̌͊̓͝N̴͔̼̘͈̓̕͜Ȇ̷̡̛͓͊̽͐̽.̸̫͊̉.̸̳̺̠̭́̍̑́͠.̴̨̳̲̖̰̊̽̐͝.̶̺͙̄S̴̛͙͖̫͍̰̭͗̈̉͝T̶̯̟̤̱̄̕͝E̴̢̯͎͙͉̎̑̏̊A̶̼̳̽̐̇̅̊L̶͇̝̥͔̏͂̊̋͛E̸͎̰̾̍͝R̸̭̭̜̩͒̇͝S̸͙̖̱͉̈̈́̌͗̋͊.̴̩̭̘͌͒͐.̷̦͗̆̂͂.̶̨͚̳͈̰̓͛̉̊́!̶̛͑̿̏̚ͅ!̴͍͊̔̾́!̴͇̖̑̓̈́

At that frustrated roar, Erika can take a guess that Grim’s attack had worked and bought them a few more minutes of time. 

Newly invigorated at this chance, she adjusts her grip on the two boys and, with an aggravated growl, manages to help them up to their feet.

The minute they’re both standing, she immediately lets go of their clothes and hastily pushes them forward in a bid to encourage them to keep running.

The painful burning in her lungs protests against her movement, making her fumble with one of her pushes and she accidentally slaps Ace on the back when she consequently loses her balance.

“Ow—hey! What the hell’s your problem?!” Ace snaps the minute she catches her footing. At the explicit anger leaking into his tone, she freezes and involuntarily meets his red-eyed gaze. “Who told you to go and push us, huuuuh?! That really hurt you know!” He grouses, cradling his jaw. “I nearly hit my chin going down! What would have happened to me then, huh?!” 

Erika can sympathize with his indignation—really, she can—but for fuck’s sake, _now is not the time to go looking for a fight!_

Her hand shoots out to grasp his tie, her fingers curling around the soft fabric, and she all too willingly pulls him down just enough that their faces are on the same level.

With her temper curling solidly around her tongue, its weight a definite reminder that she has her pride too you know, Erika outright glares back at Ace.

“We,” she starts, practically gritting out that one word. “Don’t have the _time_ to argue right now,” she puts emphasis on, her fingers practically strangling his tie at this point. “You can yell at me all you want later. Hell, I’ll even apologize later for what I did, but now is _not_ the time,” she says slowly and holds his gaze for a few more moments to make sure that her point had registered in his brain before she promptly releases him.

Ace takes a few steps back, his hand moving to his rumpled necktie, and he’s looking at her in a decidedly different light.

Realizing what she’d just done, she briefly presses her lips together and wonders if she’d just earned herself a place on his personal hit list.

Regardless, she’d said her piece, and so the current-her has to live with it now.

Even Grim, who’s sitting quite comfortably atop her head, quite loudly whistles out his opinion.

Her gaze flickers to Deuce who’d been silently watching the entire ordeal, and she feels unnerved by the very serious look on his face.

“...We should get going,” suggests Deuce after a moment.

Another bout of howling from the monster only further reminds them of their current predicament.

She looks back over her shoulder, gauges the flames caging the monster, then turns her gaze back to the abandoned house just a kilometer away give or take.

“I’ll apologize later,” she repeats, _promises_ , as she reaches up to pluck Grim off of her head and nestle him back in her arms. “But first, we have to get back to Night Raven College.”

And, despite her crying body protesting against even _more_ physical activity, she forces herself into a desperate sprint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, REALLY, had fun writing this chapter (o>艸<) For obvious reasons, ofc pfffft.  
> I also updated really early in my day, huh. But it's mostly because I have to dance for a class lol.
> 
> Common Name: Deletron octopus


	37. Montastraea cavernosa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “One!” Both Ace and Grim exclaim, strangely in sync despite their proclaimed dislike for the other, and they look at her with eyes the size of dinner plates.
> 
> “...Eight,” is the opinion Deuce gives as he adjusts the black gloves covering his hands.

“What the hell?!” 

Erika takes a brief moment to permanently stamp the priceless image of Ace’s and Deuce’s jaws dropping once they spot the gigantic pickaxe embedded deeply into the ground just a few meters away from the shabby house.

“Isn’t this...that monster’s?” Deuce questions, tentatively going around it as he inspects its gleaming blade. “But what on earth is it doing he—” He cuts himself off, realization dawning upon his features just as Ace’s face twists into an expression of understanding.

With the pieces of the puzzle finally settling into places in their minds, the two Heartslabyul students snap their gazes to look at her with wide eyes.

Pointedly, she turns her gaze the other way.

As much as she wants to gloat about how she’d pushed them down to, you know, save their fucking lives, now’s really, _really_ not the time for that.

“We have to look for the path back to the mirror,” she reminds not only them but also herself because escaping should be their first and foremost priority in this dreaded situation.

“Y-Yeah,” both Ace and Deuce agree, their words coming out tremulously for some reason.

They head towards the bushes nearest to them and begin their search for the path, restlessly pushing aside stems littered thickly with foliage and straining to make out any sort of dirt-covered path.

Yet, a few minutes in, even Erika can admit how futile of a task this is.

“It’s too dark,” Deuce speaks up, a certain bite to his words this time, and it’s plain to see how frustrated he is over their situation. “We can hardly see anything,” he grumbles despite continuing to shove apart the underbrush.

An idea hits her then.

_Maybe we don’t need to use our eyes to look for it,_ she proposes, her gaze sliding over to a certain magical creature in her arms.

“What?” Grim aims one of the most impressive unamused looks she’s ever seen. “What do you want noooow?” He asks in a sort of bemoaning trail, as if she _always_ orders him around.

“Is there any chance you could sniff out the trail?” She asks as she taps at her own nose for emphasis. “You have a good sense of smell, right?”

Grim’s features scrunch up, clearly displeased and somewhat offended by the suggestion. “I would if I could!” He spits out, a bit of blue fire trailing after his words and scorching the ground just near her feet. “But there’s a lot of other scents here too, you know! They all mix up, and let me tell you that _some_ smell particularly bad!”

At that admission, Grim turns his head to grimace at Ace and Deuce, his mouth curling underneath his nose.

Ace and Deuce recoil, affronted.

“I used cologne this morning!” Deuce argues though he does sniff the upper part of his top’s sleeve to gauge how much of the artificial odor had faded over time. “I smell fine!” He asserts as he narrows his eyes at Grim.

Ace, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to agree.

“Could’a fooled me,” he snidely mutters.

The speed at which Deuce turns to Ace might as well be unrivaled; however, before they could so much as duke it out again, the moment is ruined by another thunderous roar from the monstrous elephant in the room.

  
  


"̵̡̺̺͍̝͇̻͍̯̼̄̌̋̉̿̎́͑̉̓̄Ģ̶͔̯̺̫̉͜I̵̛̝̖͈͆̀͗͆̿̾̊̉̈̒V̵̤̏̔̈́̒̚̚E̴̖̳̦͒̽̓̋̕͝.̵̹͚̦̦̋͊̒̆̄̓͑̀̐̈́͘.̴̜̬̜͇̹̺̤͇̤͝ͅ.̷̛̬̝̖̤̜͎͔̫̍̈͂͌͂Ḅ̵̜̜̬̘̗̫͑̈́̿͛̈́̉̋͆̕͠Ä̷̡͎̠̩̤̖́͗̐̏͊͋͝C̷̱̟̪̳̦̮̳̚K̷͉̙͊͋͐̂̿̍.̴̡̯̝͙̤͔̹͔̦̌̾̑̍̓͌̊̂̈́͠.̷͎͂̃̉͘.̴̛̖͇̺̟̬̗̯̂̿͒͂͌̚S̶̡̛̬̳͉͍͎̺̥̓͛̄͆͝T̶̪̜͍͉̲̟̰͍͐͗̈́Ȯ̸̝͍͇͓͉̥̈̈͌͌̈́͆̑̄Ṅ̶̹̬̭̗͈̔̀̐͊͊͝͠E̶̛͉̥͂̎̑͊̔̏͝!̵̡̺͔͇̜͈̫̻̬͙̅͑͛̇͛́̕͝!̷͍̫̪̞̮̫͍̏̒͗̾̓͊̕!̷̠͚̤̰̯̼͈͓̒̍̌͘"̸͇͙̭̮̂

  
  


“Shit!” Curses out Ace at the sight of the corrupted monster heading towards them. “How did it get through that fire?!” 

“Better question, where do we run from here?!” Deuce exclaims, and his query freezes their frazzles nerves because—

_Where do we run from here?!_ She screeches in her head, noticing for once that, aside from the rickety bridge leading to the pitiful house, they’re surrounded by columns of trees with the only other viable exit being preoccupied by the one thing that they’ve been running from!

A sudden jolt of static pierces through her mind, _a warning to her_ , and she’s reminded that the rhythm game is still ongoing when a whole batch of glowing green circles pop into existence around the corrupted monster.

_You have got to be fucking kidding me_ , she thinks because _of course_ the glowing circles would prefer that they _attack_ the monster instead of, you know, helping them escape by lighting up the path to where the mirror should be.

“Grim, Deuce, Ace,” she softly calls out to them, her eyes trained on the nearing corrupted monster who does _not_ look one bit happy to see them. When she feels Grim somewhat shift in her arms, she assumes that the other must have heard her and continues, “On a scale of one to ten, with one being the least likely and ten being the most likely, how willing are you to fight this thing?” 

Ace’s and Grim’s reactions are immediate.

“One!” The both of them exclaim, strangely in sync despite their proclaimed dislike for the other, and they look at her with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Having expected as much, she can’t blame them.

She turns to Deuce with raised brows and catches the contemplative expression twisting his features.

“...Eight,” is the opinion he gives as he adjusts the black gloves covering his hands.

Both Ace and Grim turn to him with matching incredulous looks.

Deuce notices their reactions and defensively crosses his arms over his chest. 

“Well, what else _can_ we do?” He demands. “ _Run?_ To where, huh? If it’s come to this, the best option would be to face it head-on and fight it with everything we’ve got!” He raises his fist and holds it strongly to emphasize his point.

Though Grim is steadily buying the other’s argument, Ace looks distinctly unimpressed.

“What kind of shounen protagonist bullshit are you spouting out?” Ace sneers, mockingly pointing at him with his palm up. “Hate to break it to you, but we’re not in one of your manga. This is _reality_.”

Erika snorts at that.

Everybody immediately turns their attention to her.

“Nothing.” She shakes her head, trying her very best to keep the ironic smile off of her lips. “But, do you have any other options then?” She questions Ace, turning her gaze to him.

The young man in question falters, clearly caught off guard by her question, and he makes no move to open his mouth.

Seeing that she won’t be able to pry anything from him, she turns her attention to the equally quiet Grim.

With their silent reactions, she smiles grimly at them all.

“There’s our answer, I guess,” she concludes, even as her mind goes, _Fuck, fuck, fuuuuuuck_ , because she does _not_ want to do this. 

At _all_.

Suddenly, Ace releases a heavy sigh.

“Then,” starts Ace as he runs a hand through his hair, a portion of his forehead showing for a brief moment when he combs his bangs back. “I suppose those two and I will be the ones attacking?” He raises a brow at her, clearly looking for some modicum of guidance.

As surprised as she is by the question, Erika keeps it under wraps and nods her head.

“Yes,” she confirms whilst she liberates Grim from her arms. Her gaze slides back to the corrupted monster just a couple of meters away from them, and she takes note of the pattern that the glowing circles seem to concentrate on. 

_Thud, thud, thud_ , is the ominous beat that echoes in the back of her mind right before the glowing circles disappear without any showers of sparks, probably because none of them have been hit.

“But I can keep an eye on its weak points,” is the excuse she gives, considering that it’d be weird for her, a non-magical human, to have this sort of ability and she didn’t exactly want to go through the pain of making up a fake story. “You guys just have to watch out for my directions, okay?”

“We’ll leave that to you, then,” accepts Deuce.

All four of them then turn to face the overblotted monster, their senses on alert as they wait for it come closer, and closer, and closer, and _closer—_

“Grim, 1 o’clock of the monster!” Erika spits out the minute it’s near enough, her eyes locked on the single glowing circle spinning atop the monster’s head.

“Got you!” Grim shouts in response as he takes a short running start before leaping up high into the air, his body doing a brief flip when gravity takes its course and sends him down.

However, just some feet from hitting the ground, Grim opens his mouth with a definite growl, blue fire sparking to life at his canines before the heat grows and grows and grows until it’s curling around his mouth.

Then, before she knows it, several bursts of azure fire are slicing across the air and leaving trails of grey smoke before they proudly hit their mark.

"̴͙̘̈́͌̌̓̈́A̶̭̮̽̎̈̅̃͘͘̚G̶̺͇̬̹͖͈̑̉̈́̄̚̚͜ͅͅG̴̢̯̈́H̴̡̢̧̛̛̹̻̻͋͗̽̍́́͘ͅĤ̶̨̝͔̭͙̙̙̃͝—̴͇͕̦̭̿̄͋̓̎̇͝!̶̛͔͑̑̒̒͊̈́̂"̴͙͕͓̹͍̌̑̔̊͛̊͊͘

The monster lets out a near-deafening roar once the attack slams straight into its head, the glowing circle there popping out with a beautiful _Thum!_ before scattering into a rain of glitter, and it nearly stumbles back from the force of the blow.

“Heh!” Grim smugly lets out. “That will show it!” He gloats.

_But we’re not just finished just yet_ , is her only thought as she warily watches the monster recompose itself, appearing as if the attack had only distracted instead of dealing any heavy damage that she’d hoped for.

_We have to survive!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out so late (இ﹏இ`｡) But I was honestly in a bad place, academically and thus emotionally for me, and ugh that's not a good excuse because writing gave me so much joy and when I stopped writing for a while, this just made everything so much worse and I'm just honestly super happy to come back and write uuuuugh. 
> 
> God, I love writing so badly vfyjnx I should have taken a lit course or something but I also love-hate my current course too.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Common Name: Great Star Coral


	38. Cynomys ludovicianus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sentimental value, perhaps? She wonders. Or maybe...Maybe it’s because it’s the only thing it has left…

“Ace!” She shouts out, a bit of a biting edge to her voice this time from overuse. “Your 2 o’clock! And make it a big one!” She specifies, worryingly pressing her lips together when she sees the particularly thick pattern of glowing circles enclosing the corrupted beast.

_I hope this works!_ She ardently hopes for.

“I got it!” is Ace’s responding holler. With a snap of his arm, he takes but only a moment to point his magical pen in its intended direction before a swirl of green comes to life around the pen’s tip.

“Deuce!” She cries out for, swinging her gaze to the other side where the young man in question is at. “Cauldron for your 10 o’clock!” She barks out, feeling her heart beating just a fraction faster when she sees the creature attempt a gruesome strike at Grim who’d fortunately leapt out of the way just in time.

When she gets no immediate reply, she turns her attention back to a frozen Deuce staring at her in panic.

“Now!” She bellows out, extremely irate because, yeah, it may look like Deuce’s cauldron will miss by a mile away, but it _won’t!_

Reluctantly, Deuce follows her orders and, when he casts the spell, several tiny silver lights glimmer into existence around the tip of his magical pen, concentrating into a single and solid point before it shoots out into a clear beam of glittering particles.

Deuce has this kind of look on his face that conveys how much of a foolish struggle he thinks her plan is. 

Yet, against all odds and with the rhythm game backing her up, Deuce’s newly-summoned cauldron does _not_ , in fact, clatter uselessly to the ground but is instead instantaneously carried by the gale of wind that spirals out of Ace’s magical pen.

She watches as the green-tinged whirlwind encircle the corrupted beast, the glow of its magical particles managing to distract the beast just enough that, when it turns its head to the other direction, it doesn’t even notice the massive cauldron heading its way until it smacks right into the glass surface of its head.

_Crack!_

That one singular sound resounds out loudly in the air, and it is soon followed by a wounded cry from the overblotted monster as it stumbles unsteadily from the force of the impact.

“Nya! It’s my time now!” Snickers Grim just as he positions himself properly in direct line of the beast, giving him the perfect opportunity to land a blow. “Take this, you bastard!” Is his aggravated snarl before the fire curling around his canines takes shape into a wispy ball of flames.

“Nyaaaaagh!” 

Grim’s fireball lands true upon its mark, hitting the monster straight in the chest and forcing it to slide back with a trail of black slime following in its steps.

“Yosh!” Ace cheers, pumping his fist high in the air with an almost manic smile painting his lips from how victorious he must probably feel. “A good hit!”

Even Deuce, who’d initially doubted this plan, is smiling widely at their accomplishment. “Let’s keep up this pace!” He exclaims with a strong punch of his fist against the flat of his open palm.

A small smile involuntarily spreads itself across her lips at their happiness; however, as much as she wants to celebrate alongside them, she locks her words tightly shut in the back of her throat and keeps her gaze steady on the threat before them.

"̷̪̪͊̅̑̌̚U̵̘̥̹̺̟͐̅͂͆̏̈̚u̵̧͙̟̻̲͉̩͊͝ǔ̴̯͇͊̇g̵̛̪̬̜̝̤͍͒ͅḩ̵̼̩͚̟̩͓̊͐̑̃͘̚͜ḩ̸̰͈̮̦̺̞͆́̈́̕h̵̩̰̬̻̝̟͘h̸̭̮̫̘̆h̶̛̲̄̍̊̍.̶̨̘͔̥̮͇͇̮̆̓̒̐͌̏̀͐.̶͔̫̗̤̜͌̀.̸͙͓̬̗̘͙͎̐̑͂̏.̸̢͎̬̈́.̴̢̱̭͓̉̊̔̋̉̚"̵͚͂̋͊̈́̎͝͠

She clenches her fists against her sides when a string of garbled moans flow out from the monster, the edges of its voice crackling with some kind of static that makes the rhythm in her head thrum louder.

"̸̻͔̫͐J̵͕͓̼͑͜ǔ̶̝̜̻̟̐͋̇͝.̶̧̱̟͇͌͆̎͊́̇̽.̸̡͚͈̈́̽̐̃͘͝.̵̗̠͛s̷͓̫̝̫̲̆ț̵̢͎̤̱̣͑͊̚.̷̳̠͍͔̆͑̆.̶͖̺̺͂̉̈͜͝.̵͈̙̿̋̾̊̕͝w̵̧̪͍̋͋̔̓̔͛a̷͈̗̘̥̎̈́́̔͑̉̉ͅn̸̡̪̗̦̭̔̏͝ͅt̶͖̣̻͖̎̈́̇̔.̴̖̳̓̓.̸̺̔̔.̶͓͍͚̗̲͙s̴̝͛̉̿̆̌̃̕͝t̶͓̲̻͂̾́̉ȍ̵̡̝̺̮͉̖̪̔͆̂.̵͚̲̜͔̗͍̗̖̈́̃.̸̜̭̪̼̽̌͗̽͋.̷͖̜̙̪͙͙͆̓͜"̴̰̦̍ͅ

Then, just as those syllables are uttered, a loud and shrill whine pierces through the air.

“Agh—!” At the unexpected onslaught to her poor eardrums, Erika instinctively brings her hands up to her ears in order to block out what sound she can and to diminish the ringing reverberating through her head.

_What the fuck?!_ With squinted eyes, she wills herself to lift her gaze up from the ground to check just _what_ is going on.

What she sees only makes her eyes widen.

_What…?_

"̷̖̰̱̗̲͙̋͒͛͑̒̔̊͠Ú̶͚̯͈̽͐̉̾̃̌͛͜u̴̮͔̰̮̒͛̒͊ư̶̰̯̌̌̿̕͠ḫ̴̗̍̎̓͛.̵̨̬̰͓͑̿̄.̶͖͚̭̪͙̗̍̂̆̽.̸̨̦̖̟̘̠̙̐̈̾̔̅͑ ̴̣̔͒̀̀͋̃̑͝u̶̬̭̬̤̝͒̚ṵ̷͇͘͝u̷͇̠̫̠̘͌̚̕͘ģ̴͎̦̼̭̉h̷͇͙̪͙̲̑̆̍͑͋͝h̴̛̝̄̆̋̌̽͗h̴̖̰̖͆̿.̷̣̙̲̪̆͛̇.̵͔̬̖̟̤̫͔̔͋͝.̴̪̦̱̝̠̖͎̹̇̐͝!̴̱̮͐̚͝͝ ̴̡̖͍́Ǵ̶̩͕̱͚̔̽͗͜ͅḯ̷͎̙̃̆̾̐̓̀v̶̧̡̲͓̲̀̀̾̔̅̑͊͜ę̶̮̳̻̙̤͊̐̓͝.̵̙̫͓̝͖̦̙̟͛͛͌̓̌̚.̶̣̳͉̙̄̂̔͘̕͝.̷̟̼̫̜̮̘͗̐̎̈́͋̚͠͠ͅ ̷̧͓̝̩͍̈̈̈́̈́͜ï̵̟̞̬̮̰̱̞̱̿̒͘ť̷͓̙͔̩̤̅̄̍̐̾͠ ̴̘͇̖̯̲̑b̷̡̂͘a̵̢̱͕̰̺̜̯̾̈̈́.̸͙̱̉̎̔.̵̠̓̒̑͜.̷͇͍͓̜̖͈͒̈͘ć̴͙͓̘̔̾̚k̵̡̛͙̍!̶̼͇̳̋̿̆̋̾̆͜!̵̧̢̤̭̱̺͒̆́̇̚̕͝"̵̘̇

The corrupted monster releases another bout of howling that absolutely _hurts_ her eardrums once more despite her covering her ears; regardless of the strikingly painful ringing, she forces herself to focus because—

_It’s...crying…?_

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, too enraptured by the jarring sight of the corrupted monster _crying_.

Fat and thick clumps of black goo drip out heavily from the massive crack running down its glass head, streaming down enough that it stains the red fabric of its pitiful rag of a top and splatter messily on the ground in viscous puddles.

"̷̖̰̱̗̲͙̋͒͛͑̒̔̊͠Ú̶͚̯͈̽͐̉̾̃̌͛͜u̴̮͔̰̮̒͛̒͊ư̶̰̯̌̌̿̕͠ḫ̴̗̍̎̓͛.̵̨̬̰͓͑̿̄.̶͖͚̭̪͙̗̍̂̆̽.̸̨̦̖̟̘̠̙̐̈̾̔̅͑ ̴̣̔͒̀̀͋̃̑͝u̶̬̭̬̤̝͒̚ṵ̷͇͘͝u̷͇̠̫̠̘͌̚̕͘ģ̴͎̦̼̭̉h̷͇͙̪͙̲̑̆̍͑͋͝h̴̛̝̄̆̋̌̽͗h̴̖̰̖͆̿.̷̣̙̲̪̆͛̇.̵͔̬̖̟̤̫͔̔͋͝.̴̪̦̱̝̠̖͎̹̇̐͝!̴̱̮͐̚͝͝ ̴̡̖͍́Ǵ̶̩͕̱͚̔̽͗͜ͅḯ̷͎̙̃̆̾̐̓̀v̶̧̡̲͓̲̀̀̾̔̅̑͊͜ę̶̮̳̻̙̤͊̐̓͝.̵̙̫͓̝͖̦̙̟͛͛͌̓̌̚.̶̣̳͉̙̄̂̔͘̕͝.̷̟̼̫̜̮̘͗̐̎̈́͋̚͠͠ͅ ̷̧͓̝̩͍̈̈̈́̈́͜ï̵̟̞̬̮̰̱̞̱̿̒͘ť̷͓̙͔̩̤̅̄̍̐̾͠ ̴̘͇̖̯̲̑b̷̡̂͘a̵̢̱͕̰̺̜̯̾̈̈́.̸͙̱̉̎̔.̵̠̓̒̑͜.̷͇͍͓̜̖͈͒̈͘ć̴͙͓̘̔̾̚k̵̡̛͙̍!̶̼͇̳̋̿̆̋̾̆͜!̵̧̢̤̭̱̺͒̆́̇̚̕͝"̵̘̇

It tremulously wails out as it haphazardly swings, its movements looking less controlled by the minute but definitely with a significant amount of force as if—

Erika stumbles, her feet nearly tripping over each other, when she takes a step back at the rather painful scene.

It’s—

“Look out!”

The words register in her ears just when she realizes a moment too late that the corrupted creature had gradually crept closer to her in the midst of her distraction; she sees it raise its humongous arms, fingers clenched into blunt claws, and a bubble of fear pops in her gut when she sees it bring it down.

In _her_ direction.

Yet, instead of from the head up, the explosion of pain happens in both of her arms when she’s bodily and rather suddenly shoved onto the ground as a deafening smack echoes through not only the air but also through the ground that she’s now lying on.

_Wha—?!_

Wide-eyed, she turns her gaze to the person that had just pushed her and rolled around on the ground with her.

“What the hell were you doing?!” Ace furiously shouts at her, a dangerously heated look in his eyes. If looks could kill, Erika is sure that she’d perish on the spot with the way he’s glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doing, just standing there with your mouth open like an idiot?!” He demands just as Deuce and Grim in the background unleash a flurry of attacks to distract the monster just enough to buy them time to recover. “In case you forgot, we’re _kinda_ in the middle of a fight!” He sarcastically throws at her.

Erika winces, of course, at not only his fervid but also because of the throbbing in her shoulder when she’d hit the ground a little bit too hard for her tastes.

She moves to get up and, when she doesn’t notice any significant spike of pain in her shoulder aside from a steadily dulling ache, she’s thankful that _nothing_ had gotten dislocated or broken.

“Ace, Ace, Ace,” she restlessly calls out to him as, somewhere at her back, Deuce takes advantage of the disoriented monster to summon another cauldron in order to slam it down against the monster’s head. When Ace turns his attention back to her, she asks, “Does the monster look like it’s crying?”

The way Ace is looking at her right now is as if she’d just spoken the most ridiculous thing ever.

“Haaaaaaaah?” He stretches out. “Why would it be crying? It’s trying to _kill_ us. What kind of masochistic thing is this?!”

The words on her tongue immediately go dry as she stares incredulously at Ace.

She...hadn’t expected that kind of response from him.

“I-I don’t know,” she helplessly stammers out, even though deep down she can _tell_ that it’s sad, for some reason.

It’s _sobbing_ , for fuck’s sake. 

She looks down at her hands where the magic crystal, which Grim had given to her earlier for safekeeping, is safely cradled in. 

She considers it.

_If it only wants this,_ she thinks but flinches when Ace suddenly shoves her behind him with a yell of, “Get back!”, in order to properly cast another wind spell at the corrupted monster. She stares at his back with her lips pressed tightly to one another, then looks down at the soft-glowing crystal in her hand. _...But I can’t give this_.

They’d all worked hard to get this and, to return it _now_ of all times, just when the situation had reached its ultimate peak, she’d only earn the ire of the two Heartslabyul students.

And getting on _any_ of the characters’ hitlist is the _last_ thing she wants.

Then, as if a light bulb had lit up in her head, an idea hits her.

“Ace,” she calls out to, hope fluttering in her chest. “Ace! You guys just distract it for now! I’m gonna go and check on something!” She tells him, despite the _Thud! Thud! Thud!_ of the missed beats in her head, before turning on her heel and running off to her intended destination.

“Eh?!” Ace exclaims, looking back at her in alarm. “What are—Where are you going?!”

“Just buy me some time!” She shouts back, briefly looking over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “Five minutes! Tops!” 

_Please!_ She thinks before she rights her gaze back to the only building in this forest.

The shabby house.

.

..

…

..

.

The very second she swings open the main door, a cloud of dust hits her straight in the face. 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_. The number of filthy particles that she’d unwittingly inhaled makes her cough in disgust. _Ugh. This is the worst, worst, worst!_ She screams in her mind.

Still, even with her features twisted into a repulsed grimace, Erika swallows down her reluctance and braves the first step into the shabby house.

The first thing she notices is how remarkably dark it is in here.

_Goddammit,_ she thinks as she shoves her hand down her bra in order to pull out her phone. _Why couldn’t Crowley have gotten me anything with pockets?! Is that so much to ask for?!_

Once she’s turned on the flashlight function of her phone, Erika waves her phone around in the air to get a better look at everything.

_It’s…_ She mentally starts with, gazing at the dust-covered furniture and cobwebbed-splattered ceilings. _I don’t even know which is worse—this, or Ramshackle._

Tentatively, she looks around the first floor, trying to look for _something._

After all, if her singing had affected it to _some_ degree, then maybe, just maybe!, even more of those theories she’d read online could be true?

That, maybe, that corrupted monster outside had been one of the dwarves in Snow White?

But, if so, why had it been crying, and over a magic crystal of all things?

_Sentimental value, perhaps?_ She wonders, before continuing on to the second floor. Despite the fearsome creaking beneath her feet, Erika is all too aware of the timer ticking away in her back of her mind. _Or maybe...Maybe it’s because it’s the only thing it has left…_

Erika briefly pauses when she arrives on the second floor.

_...Or so it thinks,_ she finishes her trail of thought as she musters the courage to explore the room.

There are seven tiny beds in the room, small enough that it’s impossible for any adult humans to comfortably lay in unless they were pushed together, with faded carvings emblazoned upon their footboards.

She stops before one and shines her phone at it.

“...Happy,” she murmurs, not liking one _bit_ the shiver that runs down her spine as something cold touches her back.

Startled, she whips around to look at what had just touched her.

There is nothing behind her.

... _I’m just scared because it’s dark in here_ , she tries to rationalize. _I haven’t gotten any sleep tonight, so maybe I’m just imagining things._ She forces herself to laugh a bit,

“Still,” she murmurs, flashing her light around to better illuminate the dusty, unwell-maintained, and very much abandoned room that it’s difficult to conjure any sort of image of it being once a warm and cozy home for the Seven Dwarves from Snow White. “This is just so sad to look at…” 

However, as much as she wants to take her time in the bedroom, she doesn’t exactly have the _time_ for that.

_Back to the topic then,_ she thinks as she carefully pulls back the blankets of each bed. _Why had that monster stayed in the mines then? Why not in the forest? Or even here near the house?_

Had something happened there, perhaps? Something that had made it succumb to overblot in the first place? Something that had driven it enough to make it lose its memory over the years as it steadily lost control over its most basic of bodily actions?

Erika doesn’t know, and there’s a large part of her that _doesn’t_ want to know.

But, there’s one thing that she’s sure of.

The monster hadn’t laid a single blow on this house. 

It could have so easily used destroyed the house with the pickaxe that it had thrown a while ago; yet, to her surprise, the pickaxe had landed just some ways from the house, a distance that could even be considerate.

Her theory had only further solidified itself when she’d noticed that, during the course of the battle, the monster hadn’t even made a single move towards the house.

It was as if...the monster had been trying to protect it—to _conserve_ it.

For what reason, Erika can only think of something that makes her throat tighten up.

"̶̝̗͍͉͆͋T̸̥̣̓ḩ̵̡̠͍̥̙͉̈́̿̿̍̌͂͌â̵̡̳̝̮͙̓̓̚͜t̵̘̺͉̊̀.̴̫̬͎̰̾̍̒͋͑͝ ̸̨̼͕͊̅̐̌̌͊̌I̶͕̗̫̾̍̀̑͌̀͠s̸̡̢͈̠̯̟̯̋͜.̶̧̪̩̜̪̠͛͂̎̕.̶̨̢̻̣͓͎̰̒̊̎̏̂̿̄̃ͅ.̶̛̳͔̗͍̯̻͚̼͌̈́̃͌.̴͙̼͔̮̹̉̏̾.̷͉̂M̶̨̤̮̯̱̻̆͊I̶̖͓̜̎̔̾̈́̿̊̐̀I̷̢̧͙͚̥̪̻̖͛̈͆͌͊̕̕I̸̛̪̦͇͍̯̝̺͇I̷̭̪͎͖̪̲̗̾̈̕N̵͈̘̂E̶̮̩̘̓͝E̴̠͖̹͉͐Ḙ̵̮̥̫̳̥͚́E̷̦̩͇͖̿̇E̸͉̖̓͜È̷͇͇͋̎"̸̢͎͍̫̰̖̺̓̃̾̈̃́

A sudden crash from outside startles her from her musings, and she feels her heartbeat quicken when she hears Grim’s and the two boys’ yells from outside.

_Shit, shit, shit_ , is the mantra that sings in her mind as she hurriedly pulls open the drawers in the room. Glasses. A few knives. Some brushes. And a very, _very_ rotten fruit.

She swings open the only wardrobe in the room and pauses at the sight.

_But,_ she can’t help but think. _If it’s protecting it, if it’s conserving it, then it_ must _value this house._

At least, to some degree.

And maybe, _maybe_ , it had even valued the occupants living here once upon a time ago.

Another crash from outside makes her jolt, and she distinctly hears Grim yowling quite loudly at her to, “HURRY UP!”

Desperately, Erika reaches into the wardrobe with an idea thrumming loudly in her brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This WAS supposed to be shorter, like halved, but then my brain went, 'no, Witch, you haven't updated in a while, make it a long one, make the readers angst over the dwarf :>' like the motherfucker it is. 
> 
> So, enjoy! And I hope that you're all doing well hehe.
> 
> Common Name: Black-tailed prairie dog


	39. Clavaria zollingeri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’s alive. And really, the next step should be obvious enough.
> 
> She has to keep on living.

“HEY!” hollers Erika as soon as she steps out of the dingy house. “Hey, you! Look over here!” She screams, trying her best to wildly wave the bundle in her hands in the hopes that it would catch the monster’s attention.

Yet, despite her efforts, the corrupted creature doesn’t even once glance her way. It’s too busy swinging its arms in a manner so wild that it’s only exposing even more of its vulnerable points, clearly much too consumed in its own agony and rage.

“Erika!” Grim’s voice shout pierces through the air, and she immediately snaps her towards his general direction. “W-We have to get out of here!” He yells, turning to look at her.

It’s his one mistake.

The very second Grim slides his gaze to her, shifting his attention _away_ from the furious monster in order to look at her—

His distraction doesn’t go unnoticed.

The overblotted monster instantly catches sight of this, surprisingly attentive in contrast to its erratic movements, and turns its body to face Grim.

Her eyes widen in horror when she sees the monster bring up _both_ of its arms, and she knows at the back of her mind that, that—!

Grim will _not_ be able to survive that!!!

With her heart hammering deeply in her throat and her brain cells just _scattering_ , Erika opens her mouth and cries out,

“ _HEIGH-HO!”_

The word slips out of her in a rushed and high-pitched kind of tone with a horrible crack right in the middle.

She hadn’t been expecting, but oh God had she been hoping, that the monster would stop.

And yet, against all odds, against all of her worst fears, the monster _does_.

It freezes the very moment it heard her desperate yell.

And, as if strings were tugging its limbs in a jarring pull, the monster turns to her almost jerkily.

The fat and viscous liquid streaming from the crack on its head drips down onto the ground in several wet, messy, and very audible splatters.

_Splot. Splot. Splot. Splot. Splot. Splot. Splot._

And, underneath an invisible stare, Erika finds herself rooted to the ground with ice coursing through her veins.

“E-Erika!” Grims cries out in panic, but he makes no sudden movement in case he attracts the monster’s attention once more.

She hears Grin make a few more incoherent noises in his throat, but she keeps her gaze firmly set on the corrupted monster with as strong a posture she can maintain in the face of what could possibly be her downfall.

Her thoughts, on the other hand, are a different matter altogether.

_HDCHJVFRCVFRCDYJRVFCDN,_ panickedly goes her mind as she watches the monster steadily creep towards her, the black goo making up its feet leaving a dark and faint trail of slime smeared across the ground.

She’s really, _really,_ starting to regret this!

However, even as her heart beats a mile a minute, she stubbornly stands her ground and clutches the bundle of coarse fabric in her hands.

Ultimately, the corrupted monster comes to a stop just a few feet before her. It tilts its glass head forward as if it were looking down at her.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m within hitting range, fuck_ , she internally sobs, her fingers trembling as they dig into the old clothes in her hands. _Why am I even doing this?!_

"̷̲̖̓H̸̡͕̞̻̲̓̍̾̚e̴͔̖̖̦͝ï̴̢̙.̴̧̱͕̘͐̈́̌͜.̶͖̀̽̌̾.̸̡͔̲̻̾g̸̛͇̼͓͙͎̍ḩ̵̦͎̆̐͛͠ ̵̗̝̬̱͆͆̚H̵͉̱̾͐͘͠ö̸͓̦̺̗͊̑͐.̶̖̭͈̾̒͊ͅ.̷̡̣̗͉̿́.̷͖͋̇̈.̶̛̞̟͎͝ͅH̸̹̟̪̞͂̃̕õ̴̿͠͝ͅͅ?̷̨͇͇̜̖͒̿̓͝͠"̶̭̾̅̌͝

The words enter her ears with a coat of static wrapped snugly around it.

In addition to that, the pounding rhythmic beats at the back of her head intensifies.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud—_

On and on go the failed beats in her head.

And on and on do they pop out of existence with hardly any sparkles to accompany their departure.

She’s very much aware of how, alongside those beats, does the ringing in her ears intensifies. 

"̵̛̦̜̠̟̌̑͘H̶͉͈̞̟̊o̶̡̻̳̮͎̿̆̈͗̋.̸̠̟̾̀̈͘͠.̷͕͖͊̐̾̓.̶̥̞̙͐.̶͇͇̪̂̐H̶̡̡̘̼͌̈̕͝e̵̗̰͌̈́̄̕.̴̝͕͚̦̒͌̂̑͝.̸͔̱̪͛̔͝͝ͅͅ.̴͈͆̐̈́i̷͈̝̽ģ̶̢̘̜̳́͊͊̅̋h̶̰͉̲̟̳͑͊̋̕.̵̡̈́͘"̶̜̉͊̕͝

At the distressful whimper that escapes from the monster, Erika finally finds the resolve to steel her insides.

She has, after all, no other option.

Cautiously, she extends her arms out.

“Here,” murmurs Erika, her voice going down a few ranges because this is honest to god _piss-worthy_ for herself. “I think these...belong to you?” She nervously asks as she presents the items in her hands as if they were some kind of sacrifice.

_Hope this actually works!_ She internally begs, resisting the temptation to close her eyes because she doesn’t want to put down her guard just in case this monster decides to do anything smart!

With butterflies and moths and fucking bees making a home for themselves in her stomach, she watches the monster stare unmovingly at her for what feels like forever.

However, just as she thinks that the monster might snap her own limbs, Erika sucks in a harsh breath when she finally sees it reach out with its own disproportionate arms. 

She has to hold back the shudder threatening to crawl on her skin as the tips of freezingly cold finger come into contact with her own warmer ones.

A low and tremulous growl resounds from the monster, and she realizes that she’s been holding onto her tribute too tightly that the monster is unable to take it from her grasp

With trembling hands, she reluctantly releases the item and beholds as the monster practically seizes the pathetic scraps of fabric into its arms.

"̵̝̙͚̙̿̈M̸̢̧̺͎͈̀͝r̵̢̯̱͔͘r̸̤̄͠r̸̳͕̩̗̬̈ṛ̴̿̊w̷̛͕͊w̸͇͕̙̤̺̔͘w̵̯̥̲̳̉̄̂̕.̵̟̲̪̠͉̌͑͊"̸̰̭͈̄

Another low and deep growl resounds from its chest as it brings up the pitiful material up to its face, scrutinizing the rough and dirty fabric with hidden eyes. It turns the cloths this way and that, loosey stretching one out in order to better examine the little fine hairs covering the textile.

Another groan reverberates from the monster’s chest—one that is inexplicably softer than before and filled with some sort of indescribable feeling that Erika herself feels welling up within her chest.

"̸̜̂̈̿͌.̸͇̦̩͛̑͆.̶̨̬͕̟͛̓̐.̶̧̧̜̞͈̃̌̇.̸̟̈́͐D̵͍̏ȯ̷͙̙̈́̈́ǒ̶̙̻̪̲̗ọ̶̘̆̅̀͊́ǫ̶̧̳̰̉o̷͉̮̥͑̈́̕̕͝ȯ̸͙̉ǫ̸̖̜̭̅̒c̶̤̣̜̩̒͊̉̓͝.̷͈͈͓̙̂.̵̮̰͖̈̈́̔̈͠.̴͓͚̗̖̐̓.̵̨̭͙̞̆̈́̆̾"̸͎̆̔͜͝͝

A low and barely-heard whine leaves its body.

Her heart jumps up, nearly leaping straight out of her throat when the word settles in her head as something familiar, and she feels her insides just _drop_ with a sullen and distinctly broken sound.

It is at that moment that she feels something suddenly wrap itself firmly around her arm.

With a startled glance to the side, she’s immediately met with a pair of stunning teal eyes.

“We have to go!” Deuce tries to whisper to her. A half-bewildered and half-panicked expression twisting his features, but the sense of urgency he must be feeling leaks out into his words and makes them appear louder than he’d thought they’d be.

As Deuce winces, Erika looks back at the overblotted monster.

It is a sight that she won’t be able to easily forget.

With hands that had brutally uprooted trees from the ground, the corrupted monster uses those same hands to gently cradle the bundle of clothes that she’d unearthed from the wardrobe back in the house.

Carefully, the monster lays the glassy surface of its head atop the faded reds and browns and yellows of the cloths in its hands.

Then, agonizingly enough to her, the monster nestles its face into the scraps of cloths in a manner that can only be—

That can only be _tender_.

“I—” Involuntarily, she opens her mouth, and whatever words that had unconsciously formed on the flat of her tongue is promptly ripped out of her hold when a sudden pain shoots up from her _other_ arm.

Caught off guard by the sudden sting, she snaps her gaze to her other side where a rather disgruntled-looking Ace is standing by.

She belatedly notes that he has a hand on her arm, his fingers digging quite thoughtlessly into her skin even through the soft material of her shirt.

“It’s time to skedaddle!” He hisses to her, his narrowed eyes better accentuating the half-bewildered and half-exasperated look twisting his features. 

Then, with a merciless squeeze of her upper arm, he begins to drag her away.

_What the—_ She thinks, surprisingly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of events, but her mind immediately pins her focus on Grim the minute the spots him.

“Over here, over here!” Grim quietly ushers them over to where he’s standing by the thick undergrowth surrounding them. “I found the path!” He excitedly tells them as he tries to sneakily part the bushes to reveal a nearly faded path littered with pebbles and twigs.

“Good job!” Deuce praises Grim with a bright if a bit weary grin. “Now, we can go home and deliver the magic crystal!” He quietly cheers, more mindful of the current situation that they’re in, and the way he victoriously shakes his fists is undoubtedly endearing.

However, just as Ace had been about to lead her right onto the hidden path, Erika promptly recollects her wits and digs her heels into the ground.

“I—Wait,” she hisses, making sure to put some force behind her pull when Ace gives her another rough and impatient tug. “Wait!” She repeats, just in case he hadn’t heard her and feels some relief blossom within her chest when he actually stops and turns to look back at her.

“What is it now?” Ace asks, his gaze momentarily sliding away from her to most likely check up on the monster. “Whatever it is that you forgot, can’t you just leave it behind?” He hurriedly asks with a sour twist to his mouth.

“T-That’s not it,” is what stumbles out of her mouth. With the constant sound of beats failing to get hit throbbing at the back of her mind, she looks over her shoulder to look at the distracted monster.

Whatever she’s feeling must show on her face because a pair of hands find themselves on her shoulders.

Surprised, she turns her head back and nearly bumps foreheads with Ace considering how close he’s gotten.

However, just before she could open her mouth to berate Ace for his proximity, the young man beats her to it.

“Why the hell are you looking all sad for?” Ace asks her, his red eyes minutely flaring in luminosity. “That thing just tried to _kill_ us. Get your head on right,” he tells her, his hand making some sort of aborted movement near her head. “If you’re gonna stay here and feel bad for it, go ahead. But we’re leaving you here, got it?” He tells her, practically slapping her with the cold and hard facts.

And honestly?

Erika feels as if she’d _really_ been slapped. 

_I..._ She thinks, clenching and unclenching her fists by her sides. _I know that but…_

Something slithering itself around her leg breaks her train of thought.

She glances down and is not that all surprised to find Grim with his tail wrapped snugly around her leg.

He looks up at her with eyes burning the same bright blue hue as the flames in his ears.

With an insistent tug to her pants, Grim tells her, “Let’s _go_ , Erika!”

“I…” With her bottom lip trapped between her teeth, Erika glances back at the corrupted monster lovingly nuzzling what mementos it has left in front of a house that it will probably never be able to fit in. 

Yet, instead of getting drained of what energy she has left at the heartbreaking and pitiful image, she finds herself strangely invigorated because—

_I’m alive_.

The very sight of this monster standing all the way over there with Grim, Deuce, and Ace standing right next to her reminds her that, against all odds and numbers, she’d managed to survive through this entire clusterfuck of an ordeal.

She’s alive. And really, the next step should be obvious enough.

She has to keep on _living_.

“...Let’s go,” she agrees in a soft yet determined voice, her mind firmly made up. “Let’s go back.” She meets Ace’s gaze as she says this. 

Ace stares at her for a moment, his eyes moving from one point of her face to the next as if he were looking for something.

Then, as if he hadn’t just told her that he’d abandon her within the next heartbeat, Ace smirks broadly.

“That’s the stuff,” he huffs out in amusement before withdrawing his hands from her shoulders. “Thought for a second that you’d want to stay like some kind of sentimental dumbass,” he snorts.

She narrows his eyes at him, because, _really?_ , but another touch to her shoulder makes her look to the side to see Deuce smiling at her.

“Shall we?” He prompts her, and it takes her a moment to realize that he’s probably making sure that she won’t back out now.

... _Just what the hell do they think of me?_ She internally sighs with a mental shake of her head.

On the outside, though, she curls her lips upwards and tells him, “Yeah.”

Yeah.

It’s time to end this crazy chapter of her life.

.

..

…

..

.

Traveling back to Night Raven College by mirror only reminds her of how _much_ she absolutely detests the damn thing.

_Ew, ew, ewwwwwww_ , is the very first thought that materializes in her head the minute she emerges from the portal with a desperate and greedy intake of breath. The sensation of something thick and slimy clutching onto her limbs makes her shiver but it also fuels her to quickly pull herself out from the mirror and unsteadily land on the ground.

She hears the others emerge from the mirror themselves, a distinct sound reverberating in the air when each one of them fully exits the portal, and she only looks up once she’s sure that the spinning in her head has somewhat diminished.

_Ugh_ , she thinks as she clutches the side of her head with a hand. The static in her head has disappeared alongside those accursed glowing circles, thank god, but now a throbbing headache takes its place that seizes her head in a stubborn and ironclad fist. _I really should have slept yesterday_.

She regrets staying up the other night just to clean all of Ramshackle Dorm’s bathrooms, because now she’s certainly feeling the effects of it in addition to her weariness from the earlier incident…

Amidst the migraine throbbing in her head, she’s able to make out Grim’s celebratory yelling.

“Ye~hey! We’re back!” From the corner of her vision, she’s able to make out Grim performing one of his wiggling dances complete with his tail swinging excitedly from side to side. “I can’t believe we actually escaped that thing!”

Deuce creates a sort of surprised noise in response to that. “Y-You’re right…” He mutters, his chin carefully cradled in between his index finger and thumb. His eyes are wide as he appears to register that fact. “We...We survived that thing!” 

“We did,” murmurs Ace, his eyes equally as large.

The two of them look down at the floor as they try to process this.

Then—

“Yes!” Deuce cries out, just the widest and happiest smile on his face as he punches the air above him with his fist. “We did it!”

“We’re alive!” Exclaims Ace with a triumphant laugh as he throws his head back with his hands planted on his hips. “We...We actually survived that!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Agrees Grim before he merrily bounds over to the two. “Victory high-five, you two!” He announces with a large grin full of sharp teeth before he brings up his paws for that high-five.

Too caught up in their own excitement and relief, both Ace and Deuce bend down to slap their palm against Grim’s while sharing their own little high-five.

“Hooray!” All three of them cheer out.

Even amidst the ache hammering like some kind of carpenter in her head, Erika is able to find herself smiling at the warm scene.

_Just an hour ago, you were at each other’s throats_ , she couldn’t help but think, a small smile curling on her lips. Belatedly, she wonders if this interaction had happened in the game, but she’s far too tired to bother dissecting her brain for the needed information.

However, she’s snapped out of her train of thought when she notices the sudden silence in the room.

When she comes to, she sees that Grim, Deuce, and Ace are looking at her with wide eyes.

The corners of her smile twitches and she realizes that they must have seen her amusement.

Quickly, all three of them leap away from the other.

“Ah, n-no!” Deuce protests loudly, his voice cracking at the end. “This—This is nothing!” 

“Y-Yeah! Don’t smile at us so weirdly!” Ace exclaims, waving his hands in the air in the universal gesture of _NO!_

“W-We won only thanks to my genius!” Grim huffs out. “Not because we worked together or anything like that!”

Erika can’t help but raise a brow at them.

The indifference she puts on only makes them awkwardly look at each other.

Much to her surprise, Ace is the first one to give in. “...I guess making excuses is pretty lame,” he sighs as he ruffles the back of his hair. “I hate to admit it, but we were able to get out of there thanks to all of our efforts and also…” Here, Ace looks away, a bit of red tinging his cheeks. “...Your FAN plan earlier was a great help, even though it had a dumb name” he mutters.

“...True,” agrees Deuce as he meets her gaze, a small yet very much real smile gracing his lips. “We were only able to get the magic crystal because of your instructions...no matter how embarrassing it was.” Here, Deuce looks away with a blush of his own turning his cheeks a rosy pink.

Erika’s eyes soften, a part of her heart turning into goo because the sincerity they’ve shown here, _to her_ , completely outmatches the one in the game, in her opinion.

She opens her mouth, prepared to tease them of how hardheaded they’ve been, but the words die on her lips the very second she takes a step towards them and she’s suddenly hit by a wave of something incorrigibly painful piercing straight _through_ her brain.

The next thing she knows, the pressure of gravity suddenly _shifts_ for her and she finds herself losing her sense of balance just before her footing slips out from underneath her.

The last thing she catches sight of is Ace and Deuce snapping their heads to look at her, their mouths gaping open in tandem to their widening eyes with what her abruptly fuzzled brain can’t quite comprehend, and Grim already racing in her direction with a panicked expression.

The darkness takes her before she even hits the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ I'm back with the longest chapter I've ever written for this story, but I felt like the flow of the story would be interrupted if I cut out the second scene and posted it in the next chapter hehe~
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed my bit with the overblotted monster, and I hope any of you trying for SSR Birthday Ace gets him! 
> 
> But, what will happen to MC now, though? ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
> 
> Common Name: Violet Coral / Magenta Coral [But it's, cutely enough, a fungi!]


	40. Apis cerana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So?” Crowley prompts once more, a wide and smug smile curling his lips wide. “Will you shake hands with me?”

_—Hurry! Hurry and paint those roses red!_

At that sudden rush of sound, awareness floods thickly into her veins, switching on what sleeping senses she has, and leaves the very tips of her fingers and toes tingling from an unknown source of electricity.

Her eyes reflexively open out of their own accord, but even she pauses at that.

_“...When had I gone to sleep?”_ She’d meant to say, but no words leave her lips, and what she’d been meaning to utter echoes quite loudly in her mind. _“Huh?”_ Panickedly, she brings her hands up to her throat but freezes at the sight of something unusual.

Her skin is fucking grey?!

_“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck,”_ she mutters and hurriedly turns her arm over to check if the other side is the same case. Her heartbeat picks up a bit faster when she sees that this really is the case and, somehow and in some way, her skin has turned into the very same shade as a shark’s.

_—Hurry, hurry! We still haven’t painted everything!_

She snaps her head up at the unexpected and very unfamiliar voice that reverberates through her mind.

_“...People?”_ She wonders aloud as sluggishly gets up. She nearly trips over herself, though, once she notices the rather complicated ensemble that she’s...currently dressed in? _“...Definitely a dream,”_ she reluctantly decides on as her hands smoothen over the rather impressive layer of ruffles bunched around her waist atop the long ballooned skirt. 

As majestic as the dress appears, Erika would never be caught dead wearing this.

_“This is too heavy to move around in,”_ is what she can surely say as she lifts the layers of flowing fabrics that make up the skirt. She thanks her lucky stars that she’s not wearing any heels, because no way would she be able to get around with those feet-killers.

_—Why are you painting the white roses red?_

Another unfamiliar voice resounds in her mind, but this one is higher-pitched with a decidedly bell-like chime. 

However, this voice’s characteristic is not what registers in her mind. 

_“Roses?”_ She murmurs in confusion as finally takes a glimpse of her surroundings. She’d noticed that she was in some sort of maze, the grey-leaved hedges towering up high to complement the sky, which in itself was a lighter shade of grey. 

There are, however, no roses in her general vicinity.

_—Why, you ask? Well, to be honest, we accidentally planted white roses instead of red ones!_

Something pokes at the back of her bleary mind, telling her that she should know something about this, _remember_ something about this, but she hushes that part of her brain and bravely traverses down the only path before her eyes.

She turns this way and that, following the white dirt-covered road with the bare soles of her feet digging shallowly into the ground, and finally rounds a corner that makes her see a different kind of color.

**Red.**

She stops midstep, her gaze immediately focusing in on the red-petaled bloom spreading itself out atop a grey-colored topiary. 

Her gaze slides to the side where it happens to land upon a grey-colored bucket with the paint of that one startling color, and she raises her stare up to the inhumane-looking hand clutching the handle then forces herself to raise her sights even higher to travel up a very narrow black arm.

_—Her Majesty loves the color red, you see! If the Queen sees these white roses, why, it’d be off with our heads!_

Erika nearly fries her brain in the process of trying to comprehend this, this, this—!

This human-sized card with limbs and a round head!

She takes a step back when she realizes that there are two of these monstrosities, but manages to stop herself from actually fleeing when the last piece of the puzzle finally clicks into place.

_“The Card Soldiers.”_ She unceremoniously gawks even as her mind goes, HDJXNFCEDXBJNCXFRBDNJ. _“Wait, they mentioned a queen…”_

She turns her gaze to the only other occupant in this maze, and instantly feels like a goddamn turtle for not collecting her wits soon enough.

_—Is that so?_

The childlike voice belonging to the one and only Alice Lidell ripples in her mind like some kind of pebble dropping into a pond, and Erika _actually_ takes another step back at that and—

Her foot doesn’t land on solid ground.

Rather, it appears to sink into something weightless and empty— _a hole_ , the back of her mind registers, but by then it’s already too late.

She somehow loses balance on her other foot, gravity quickly working against her, and finds herself tumbling into a hole that can only be described as deep, deep, and _very_ deep.

She never hits the ground.

.

..

…

..

.

Instead, she wakes up.

With a much sharper and deeper breath, Erika forces her eyes open in spite of the drowsiness sitting on her eyelids. Blearily, she turns her head to the first thing that catches her attention and slowly blinks at what appears to be a giant and dark blob to her unfocused vision.

However, right before she could so much as rub the sleep out of her eyes, she feels something snake across her shoulder then spread itself against her upper back, its pointed tips digging lightly into her clothed back, and she unconsciously flinches away from it.

“It’s just me, Erika,” whispers a low-pitched and soft voice that registers vaguely in her ears. “You’re in much safer and kinder hands now, I can assure you,” repeats the owner of the voice just as a pinprick pair of gold lights appear before her eyes.

Realization dawns on her then.

“Cr—” She purposely cuts herself off at the unbearably baked feeling constricting her throat and has to painfully cough it out. 

“Here, drink this,” Crowley patiently instructs as he hands her a glass of water, which she greedily takes a few long gulps from. “Take your time with it,” he advises her as he gently pats her back, his hand a bare comfort to her after having woken up from the vision that the MC in her game had to experience.

“Thank you,” she murmurs as she hands the empty glass back to him. With nothing else to hold, she places her hands back on the comforter that—

That...she’d been sure had been filthy this morning…

_Oh my fucking god,_ she thinks in alarm as she snatches her hands off of the thick fabric, her mind reeling at the very realization that she’d just come into contact with something that hadn’t been fucking washed in _years!_

She snaps her head towards Crowley’s direction, betrayal sprouting from a tiny seed within her gut before it blooms proud and true beneath her chest with confusion acting as its leaves.

Yet, instead of looking guilty or abashed, he merely looks _amused_.

“I used a bit of magic to clean your bed,” elaborates Crowley as he dramatically gestures to the comforter and bed sheet that, once she double-checks with only the light of the moon, is of a white color instead of the dirty tan that it had been yesterday. “I’m not so cruel as to let an ill person rest on a filthy bed, and I’m certainly more than capable of performing a simple cleaning spell,” he tells her with a few clicks of his nail guards against his cane.

She tilts her head at that. _How convenient…_ Is the only thing that she can say about the matter.

At the sensation of something shifting by her side, she curiously turns her gaze and spots Grim sleeping quite peacefully by her hip. 

Unthinkingly, she reaches out with a hand in order to run her fingers through his fur, the chilling cold seeping into her skin finding relief in the warmth radiating off of Grim’s small body.

“What happened?” She asks as she scratches Grim behind one of his ears, which, much to her surprise, is only dimly lit by a weak flame. 

“You lost consciousness in the Mirror Chamber,” explains Crowley as he trains his glowing eye lights on her. “Probably from all of those events that have happened today,” he deeply muses.

She nods slowly, her other hand tightly clenching onto a section of the comforter, and she tries to wrap her head around it.

It...had been her first time losing consciousness.

_How scary,_ she thinks, struggling to reign in the shudder that threatens to break out over her skin.

“There is no need for you to feel distressed over your body reacting in such a way,” placates Crowley as he taps his index finger against the side of his cane. “I was able to get the full story from Trappola-kun and Spade-kun about what all four of you had to go through,” he informs her as a matter-of-fact.

She jolts to attention at that, the nerves in her brain finally connecting at that reminder, and she quickly faces Crowley once more.

“What about them?” She asks in spite of the cold tendrils coiling around her throat. “Did—Were they able to bring you the magic crystal? No, wait, are they okay?!” Her eyes widen as she wracks through her memories for the last thing she remembers. 

She’s sure that they’d left the Dwarf’s Mines.

—maybe _._

_Fuck, ugh, what happened before I fainted?_ She clutches the side of her head, truly, _truly_ confused. All she can remember is sprinting right for the mirror together with Grim and the two Heartslabyul students; after that, though? 

_Nothing_.

“Those two are fine,” reassures Crowley as he reaches into the confines of his vest. “I’ve already pardoned them for the chandelier incident since they managed to fulfill the conditions of their own terms,” he confides to her just before he pulls out a distinctly incandescent object that glows several different colors at once. 

_The magic crystal._ Her eyes widen a little. Up close and out of near danger, she’s truly able to see how beautiful it is with all its prismatic lights. Her fingers twitch, but she immediately slams down the urge to reach out for it.

“To be truthful with you,” Crowley starts whilst he brings the crystal close to his face as if he were inspecting it. She notes, though, that the eye lights in the holes of his mask are trained on her. “I hadn’t expected that any of them would be able to come back with one of these, and that you all had to deal with a monster in the process of it,” he admits, turning the crystal this way and that and letting its light rays bounce off of random surfaces within the room.

Somewhat enraptured, Erika follows a particular trail of light that casts a soft blue glow upon a colony of mold growing on a section of the ceiling.

“And yet, in spite of it, you’ve all managed to exceed my expectations by bringing me this magic crystal,” hums Crowley as he hides the magic crystal back in his best then turns his head in a way that it’s 100% clear as to _who_ he’s looking at: her. 

Unnerved by the eerie and yellowish-tint to the glowing pinpricks in the eyeholes of his mask, she clutches the sheets a bit tighter.

“But none of you were able to defeat the monster,” Crowley mentions with a tilt of his head. “Why so? Judging by those boys’ stories, it was more like you were able to distract it by giving it something…What was it?” Crowley finally asks after a nervewracking moment of silence.

“Just a bunch of clothes I found in the house near the mines,” she truthfully answers, not quite liking one bit the shudder that crawls down her spine; however, there was something nagging at the back of her mind. “...Wait. Did you know beforehand about the monster?” She asks with a slight narrow of her eyes.

_How sus,_ is her only opinion on the matter.

Crowley boldly meets her stare, holding it for a precariously long moment, then he shakes his head and tells her, “I had no knowledge of it until now.”

Erika can’t quite read if he’s telling the truth or a lie.

_It’s the fucking mask,_ she irately thinks, her fingers just itching to snatch it clean off of his face. 

However, considering that she’s at a clear disadvantage, she has no other choice but to accept his words.

“And how did you come to know that these clothes would distract the monster?” Crowley inquires, sounding curious for all the world, but she feels as if he were visually probing her reactions right now. 

“I’d noticed how careful the monster had been of the house since it wasn’t attacking it,” she admits, her mind scrambling to come up with a really fucking good answer. “So I’d thought it had some emotional attachment to it, or something? So I thought that maybe—maybe it’d want something from inside? I-I don’t know. I just trusted my instincts,” she feebly explains.

Crowley tilts his head. “So you...trusted your instincts?”

Erika nods. “But I couldn’t have gotten the time to do so if Grim, Ace, and Deuce hadn’t distracted it,” she mentions in a bid to change the topic.

Crowley cradles his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Trappola-kun and Spade-kun _did_ mention that,” he murmurs, his lips pressed firmly together.

Then, for some inexplicable reason, his shoulders begin trembling.

She stills, wondering what she’d said _wrong_ to get this sort of reaction from him, and her panic only grows when Crowley’s hands shoot out to grasp one of hers in a tight grip.

“I know this is the second time I’m hearing this, but I still can’t honestly believe it!” Crowley, for a lack of a better term, _wails_ in a voice that is uncharacteristically higher pitched than just a few seconds ago. “In all my years of being the Headmaster, I never expected for the day that students from Night Raven College would work together against a common enemy to accomplish their objective! I—This is all just so overwhelming!” Sobs Crowley.

Erika hesitates, her other hand trembling uncertainly from where it’s resting on Grim’s dozing form, but she eventually finds the courage and pats Crowley on the knee with it.

“Uh...There, there?” She awkwardly offers.

However, in repayment to her comfort, Crowley suddenly captures that hand of hers and nearly drives her soul past the confines of her skin.

With both of her hands trapped, she’s is forced to fully face him.

“Ms. Erika,” starts Crowley, the pitch of his tone dropping, and he sounds so very serious now. “I’ve had an inkling of it when I’d first seen how you handled Grim against the ghosts living here, but, without a doubt.” He slowly enunciates the last of those words. “You have a budding talent as a beast tamer.”

She presses her lips together.

_Like in the game…_

Then, after a considerably long moment of awkward handholding, she realizes that Crowly won’t speak up unless she does first.

“What’s that?” She asks, feigning ignorance because she’s supposed to have absolutely zero knowledge about this. “Is it like those professionals in the circus that makes lions jump through hoops of fire?” Briefly, she glances at Grim and imagines him doing just that.

She suppresses the smile that threatens to break out on her face.

“It’s nothing that silly,” denies Crowley. “As you know, the students of Night Raven College are budding wizards. However, it’s because that they’re of a... _superior_ class, let’s go with that, and it makes it difficult to...manage them, per se,” he tries to carefully and tactfully piece together. “And because they’re _very_ proud of their abilities and, to put it bounty, have not even the _slightest_ inkling as to how to work with others.”

Her brows rise at that. _Is Crowley...referring to these students as beasts?!_

“You cannot use magic,” plainly points out Crowley, and _gee, no shit_. “However, it’s because of that, you might just be able to guide these students and get them to cooperate! Perhaps the mediocrity that you possess is what this school needs right now in order to prosper!”

She can’t tell if she’s been complimented or belittled at this point.

“Erika.” Crowley fixes his gaze back on her. “I have no doubt that your existence to the future of this college is very important, and this is why I’m going to offer you a deal.” His hands squeeze hers, an action meant to make her relax.

In truth, this one action only makes her stiffen.

“For the duration of your stay here, I’ll grant you special permission to enroll as a student in this school!” Crowley beams brightly at her, sounding so very jubilant over the idea itself. 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._ This is what she’d honestly wanted to avoid at all costs, but here she is now!

“I—” She opens her mouth, but the words get stuck in the middle of her throat and she internally struggles to regain her bearings. “Can I reject it?” She finally asks, forcing herself to look up at Crowley with hopeful eyes.

Crowley, as she’d expected, is flabbergasted by her response.

“Reject it?” He says aloud, the word sounding foreign on his lips. “Reject it?!” He looks horrified as the very notion settles in his mind. “How come?! This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer that no other has ever received before! Night Raven College has _never_ begged for somebody to enroll as a student with us.”

“I—Like I’ve said before, sir, I don’t really think I should be a student here,” defends Erika as she cautiously retracts her hands from Crowley’s grip. “Me coming here was a mistake, wasn’t it?” She reminds him.

Crowley leans back into his seat, which happens to be the only armchair in the room, and crosses his leg over the other. “In the beginning, I’d assumed that as well; however, circumstances had made me realize that the Dark Mirror had summoned you for a reason,” is his answer before he looks at her with an expectant gaze.

“But.” Erika clutches at straws for a point. “Isn’t this supposed to be an all-boys’ school? Won’t the other students feel unnerved by my own presence? And...won’t it cause any sort of outrage from the press or something?”

She mentally pats herself on the back for that. _I really am smart_ , she praises herself.

“The Dark Mirror is an ancient artifact considered by to be of high credibility by the public, even to those with no magic,” Crowley informs her. “If it summoned you here, then you have every right to stay and study here as does every other student that has, is, and will be enrolled in this college. It will do only good for the college’s reputation were we to accept you, since it would show how flexible our administration is.” A sinister smile forms on Crowley’s lips, and it’s clear that he’s enjoying whatever mental image that he has. “And besides, you being a female student here shouldn’t even be a problem for the others. If they do, then that would mean that they’d need some correcting in order to prevent them from exhibiting the same unsavory behavior in the future,” he beams at her, so obviously trying to assuage her worries.

“...So I’m the controlled variable or something?” Erika can’t move on from that.

Crowley quick intervenes. “Nothing _bad_ will happen to you here! I can assure you! I’ve made sure to check all of the students’ records before accepting them, so I’m sure that they’re exemplary role models of education!” He lays it on thickly.

Erika...is not quite sure. She remembers the whole Riddle incident...the whole Leona and Ruggie debacle...the fucking _fish mafia._

_Uh-uh,_ she decides. _Everything bad can and_ will _happen to me if I comply with this._

“I’d hoped that you’d accept this since your student rights shall be shared with Grim,” mentions Crowley as he taps his cane twice in order to bring her attention back to him. “Seeing as you are unable to use magic, it is unlikely that you will be able to complete all of your lessons,” he truthfully conveys to her. “That is why I’ve offered the same deal to Grim, where he would cover the classes concerning magic while you would cover the one that didn’t involve magic. In essence, the two of you would be one student!” He proudly proclaims, holding up his index fingers side by side to represent the number one. “However…” Crowley frowns. “If either of you won’t accept, then I support neither of you will be students here,” he concludes sadly, gently dabbing at his dry cheek with the join of his finger.

Erika is too smart to fall for this age-old guilt trip.

She’s not a fucking _idiot_.

“Then why can’t Grim be a student on his own? I’m perfectly fine with being a janitor,” she puts in her own two cents as she raises her brows at him.

And yet, in spite of her remarkable suggestion, Crowley shakes his head.

“Grim is far too rowdy to be trusted on his own. It’s best if there is someone there to better guide him, to better see that he _doesn’t_ have a repeat of what had just happened today,” is the explanation that he gives her.

She bites her lip, finding the logic in that…

_Why did you just have to cause a ruckus in the Entrance Ceremony and_ then _destroy a chandelier,_ she bemoans, glancing tiredly at Grim, even though deep down she knew that she had a hand at the second incident.

“And I thought that becoming a student here would benefit you,” remarks Crowley. “Considering that the classes this college holds could give you some insight as to how you’d be able to go back home.”

She perks up at that, her interest piqued. 

“ _Plus_ ,” Crowley suddenly adds, an innocent smile painting his lips. “I’d be open to providing you a weekly fund, considering your _special_ circumstances, and given if you and Grim are able to maintain your grades at a certain average per term.”

Erika freezes.

“I...don’t have to clean anymore?” She inquires, her mind _reeling_ at the very possibility. As much as she enjoys cleaning, it doesn’t that she also enjoys getting _watched_ by hundreds of adolescents as she cleans the school they study in.

This morning had been a prime example, and she shudders when she remembers that incident with the Leech twins and the encounter with the Hearslabyul seniors thereafter.

“Yes,” confirms Crowley. “I’ll give you a special stipend for the work you’ve done for today later together with your allowance. And I’ll be open to giving you a little more if you do some clean-up requests for me,” he adds.

“How much?” She immediately asks, and her heart leaps straight up to the middle of her throat when Crowley breaks the whole budget for her. “S-So you’ll give me _that_ much tomorrow?” She asks.

Crowley nods with a smile. “But of course! Anything for a special student!” 

Erika’s brain short circuits right then and there. “How much is a rice cooker?” She dazedly asks.

“Around...10,000 madol?” Crowley unsurely answers as he gently taps his cheek, the tip of his nail guard clicking against his mask. “Or much more than that. I don’t usually check the prices of those things, so…”

She’s already deaf to him by that point.

_That much in a week,_ thinks Erika, practically _shaking_ at the very thought, at the very possibility of not having to eat tuna sandwiches for the rest of her stay here. _I could buy a fucking rice cooker right now and right here with that kind of money. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

“What about the utilities here?” Erika asks, looking up with wild eyes at Crowley. “Do I have to pay for the electricity here? The water? And do I have to pay for any sort of tuition fee?”

Crowley’s smile widens, and yeah it should because she’s willingly hooking herself to his bait like an _idiot_. “Of course not. As a special student, you will be exempt from paying any sort of tuition fee, and the college itself will be in charge of paying for your dormitory bills.” He cheerfully informs her, before he raises his index finger. “But whatever expenses you spend on your dorm _is_ to come from your own wallet and will not be under the jurisdiction of the college. Just please refrain from doing any sort of damage or major renovation without consulting me,” he adds.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ Continues Erika, unminding of that last part, because this sounds like a fucking _dream_. It’s like she’d just landed one of the most _amazing_ scholarships ever!

“So?” Crowley prompts once more, a wide and smug smile curling his lips wide. “Will you shake hands with me?” He asks as he offers his hand out.

Erika is a fool for getting excited about this, much less _considering_ such a deal, but—

_I can keep my grades up_ , she thinks with a firm press of her lips, determined. _All that I have to worry about is getting involved in those Overblot events, but...I know how and when to avoid those, for sure. I can do this._

Something nags at the back of her head, as if reminding her about something, but she shoves it all back down because none of that is important now.

She tunes back to reality and stares hard at Crowley's hand.

She knows that this is the only better option that she has.

“Deal,” she agrees, gripping Crowley’s hand strongly. “I’ll become a student here.”

The way Crowley’s smile widens into a grin sends a shiver down her spine and makes her feel as if she’d just signed a deal with the devil.

However, if anything, Erika has complete and utter faith in herself.

_I’ll just avoid trouble_ , she thinks with full assurance and confidence in herself. _If I don’t get involved with any of the problems of the other dorms, I can kiss a chaotic and overblot-filled student life goodbye!_ She internally cackles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week, but I'm definitely freer now— (▰∀◕)ﾉ Just a few more days until I've taken all of my exams, and bless this truly. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Very technical, in my opinion, and less fun to write as compared to the last chapter, but it was needed! I did enjoy having to madol -> yen currency equivalency theories and coming up with prices for some important things hehe.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this~ The Prologue is OFFICIALLY done and we're NOW in Chapter 1 :> And oh god! October is coming :">
> 
> OH! And this fic got fanart! Σ(▼□▼ﾒ)
> 
> Kudos to @Mirkat! Thank you so much ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡  
> https://ibb.co/2yrvLzb/Erika&Title
> 
> Common Name: Eastern Honey Bee


	41. Katsuwonus pelamis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uhuh~ Yay for little Floyd~” She coos as the next lessons pops up and she taps his little chibi face in a mock head pat. “If only the you of this world were as cute as the you in my game,” she fake sobs even though deep down she’s only 20% faking it.

“Mhhhmm!”

A sound of pure delight leaves her throat at her first bite of the simple tuna sandwich that she’d so lovingly put together.

Although the salted tuna meat is cold on her tongue, she couldn’t find it in herself to complain.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you,_ she internally weeps as her poor and neglected stomach is finally filled with something other than anxiety and dread! To think that she’d missed yesterday’s dinner and lunch—already, she can hear her mother’s worrisome berating at the back of her mind.

_Old or young, everybody still has room to grow! There’s no good excuse for disregarding your appetite!_

Unconsciously, her fingers reach out to the cool surface of her phone. The screen lights up immediately, sensitive to her touch, and she unthinkingly opens it. 

She checks her messages and, with hope stubbornly clinging next to her heart, she taps one of the exclamation points beside each of her unsent messages and waits.

_Message cannot be delivered_.

Her heart doesn’t sink so badly this time. She’d expected this outcome, after all.

_If only getting home was so easy,_ she exhales a weary breath. Regardless of the dark cloud hovering over her mood, stewing would do her no good so she instead closes the messages on her phone and instead opens up another app.

Twisted Wonderland.

As she goes through the motions of auto-grinding her chosen cards, she finds herself going back to the topic of food when she realizes that she’d finished her first sandwich for the night. 

She reaches out for another sandwich, the second of the three she’d made, and she’s relieved by the fact that she doesn’t have to worry all too much about the possibility of running out of food for who knows how long.

With the budget that Crowley would give her, Erika could probably even upgrade hers and Grim’s set meals from cold sandwiches to something more appetizing as soon as she buys their rice cooker!

_Like something with beef_ , she fantasizes about. _I still know how to make stew in a rice cooker. I can still remember some recipes..._

Having had to live alone for quite some time in order to attend her higher education, she’s thankful for the time and effort she’d taken to learning the cheapest but also surprisingly delicious recipes that were used to sustain her pathetic self all throughout her educational suffering.

If she could pat her past self right now, she’d probably smack her hard enough that younger her would feel it for _days_.

With a lighter weight on her shoulders, she returns her focus back to her phone where the classroom lessons animation is displayed proudly upon the screen of her phone.

The characters she’d chosen to train are all studying well like the good and obedient 2D students that they are, gaining little stars one at a time and making her proud.

_“I studied hard today, so yay for me~!”_ Cheers her game-Floyd in a quiet volume thanks to her settings.

Against her own will, a smile fights its way up to her lips.

“Uhuh~ Yay for little Floyd~” She coos as the next lessons pops up and she taps his little chibi face in a mock head pat. “If only the you of this world were as cute as the you in my game,” she fake sobs even though deep down she’s only 20% faking it.

_Why did I even have to encounter the Tweels yesterday?_ She cries in her mind as she bitterly takes a big bite from her sandwich. _And also the Heartslabyul seniors?! Is this canon punishing me for trying to derail from the plot?! What kind of horrible being would subject me to this kind of slow torture?!_

Honestly, Erika would just like to live a quiet and peaceful life. 

_Which is why,_ she thinks as determination pounds to the very tips of her fingers. _No matter what, I’ll have to avoid getting into any of the dorms’ messes and—!_

Suddenly, a loud banging sound from somewhere interrupts her train of thought.

“...Huh?”

With a bemused murmur, she turns her head and glances out at the archway and into a very dark and very dusty living room that she has yet to scrub clean.

She waits for a few more moments, making sure that she hadn’t been imagining things; yet, much to her extreme displease, the loud banging sound returns.

_Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!_

_Could it be Crowley?_ She wonders as she slowly gets off of her seat. She glances at the large window eating up one of the living room’s walls and she furrows her brows.

It’s still dark outside.

She distinctly remembers Crowley promising to return with the money and her school uniform in the _morning_... 

... _Even though it’s really early, I don’t think this is what he’d meant,_ she supposes as she quietly inches to one of the dusty drawers. 

She tries to open it as silently as she could, cursing the small squeaks of rust grinding together. she eventually hides her phone against the other end of the drawer so that nobody would immediately see it if ever they opened the drawer.

Cautiously, she makes her way to the living room and swiftly goes for the rusty poker leaning against the neglected fireplace. 

Though gritty to touch, she bears with it and wields it before her.

A sudden sound from behind shocks her nerves and, with a _meep!_ kept firmly in her throat, she whirls around to face the perpetrator with wild eyes.

After a moment, she awkwardly tilts her head down.

“Erika?” mutters Grim as he rubs his eyes with his tiny paws. By the sleepy expression on his face, it appears that he’d just woken up, presumably because of the loud knocking. “What are you doing awake? No, wait,” he struggles with his words, drowsiness a clear adversary in his case. “There’s somebody knocking on the door…?”

He pauses to glance past her. 

Coincidentally, another bout of door banging ensues.

She bites her lip.

“You stay here,” she tells him as she leans down to gently pat the area between his ears. “I’ll go check who it is.”

However, by the time she’s near enough to the main doors to notice how _badly_ it’s shaking from the strength of the pounding, Erika belatedly realizes that she’s just an ordinary human being with an iron poker while Grim is a magical creature that can, at worst, cough out _fire_ , for fuck’s sake.

_I’m so stupid_ , she thinks, hesitating whether to come back for Grim or not.

Still, considering that she’s already _here_ , she’d rather just get it over with and return to her food.

_Please don’t be a serial killer_ , she ardently wishes for as she musters the courage to call out, “W-Who is it?!”

The knocking eerily ceases.

She anxiously waits for a response.

Then—

“Oh, good! You’re awake!” A familiarly boyish voice resounds from the other side of the door. “I’d thought for sure you’d still be sleeping!”

Dread settles in her gut almost instantly.

She’s starting to see why she’d felt like she’d forgotten something.

“Yeah, it’s me,” confirms one of her worst nightmares. “Ugh, hey, can you...let me in?” 

She narrows her eyes at that.

At the continued silence from her part, Ace pleads, “Come on, just for a bit? I really need a place to stay right now…”

Despite the sad and miserable note that trails after his voice, Erika does not let herself be fooled.

_Oh my fucking God._

She can’t believe that she’d _forgotten_ about this plot point.

_And here I was, so sure of myself—!_ She purposefully cuts her train of thoughts as she tries to reign in the trembling of her hands. _So_ that _was why I dreamt about those card soldiers and Alice._

It had been to signify the start of the game’s Chapter 1.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_ , is all she’s able to do at this point as she warily gazes at the door, scattered decisions being weighed out in her brain.

“...Are you still there?” Inquires the root of all of her future problems.

She doesn’t answer.

Maybe, if she’s quiet long enough, she could probably fool Ace into believing that he’d hallucinated their earlier interaction and make him assume that she’s still sleeping in bed?

... _I’m an idiot_ , is her own personal opinion over her thoughts because, _honestly_ , who the hell would believe that? And with where her luck is going to these days, she doubts that Ace would be hit with a bout of short memory loss.

“Why do you want to come in?” She instead asks, futilely trying to buy more time to think of a way to get herself out of his situation. “And why so early in the morning?” She feigns ignorance, 

After all, she isn’t supposed to _know_ about the whole Ace eating a tart and getting collared by Riddle for breaking one of the rules of the Queen of Hearts shazam.

“Can’t I explain it once I’m inside? It’s _freezing_ out here!” Ace whines, his voice shaking.

She stares unimpressively at the door. 

“Then you better start talking,” she mutters, hoping that he hadn’t heard that.

“Hey! How cruel can you be?!” By his words, it appears that Ace had caught her words. _Shit_. “And don’t you think you're forgetting something?! I don’t think you should be treating me like this, especially when you owe me an apology!” He yells through the wood.

Her brows rise.

_Apology…?_ She looks at the top of the door in contemplation, wracking through her brain for that particular memory. _What….Oh._

She recalls her rather ballsy move of pulling Ace close by the necktie in order to harshly shut him up when he’d complained about her roughly pushing both him and Deuce down to the ground after she’d saved their _life_ from the pickaxe that the overblotted monster had sent their way.

_Fuck._ She massages her forehead. _What the hell were you thinking, past-me?!_

Ace must take her silence as one of realization because he continues to bulldoze on, “Yeah, you remember, right?! That’s why, instead of an apology, just let me in!”

“...I can just say sorry now,” she offers, lowering the iron poker a bit when she sees that he won’t just ruthlessly barge in. “It’s easier like that,” she adds.

“—!” She hears him make an incredulous sound. “You—! What kind of apology is this?! Shouldn’t you do it face to face if you can?!”

“Just like this is fine,” she retorts, and she looks down at her poor stomach when it rumbles in complain at the lack of food it’s getting right now.

Ace makes another incredulous note. “No! No way! As if I’d accept that sort of apology! Do you not know how to apologize properly?!” He sharply barks out.

Then, much to her annoyance, he begins pounding noisily on the door.

Her eyebrow twitches.

Brazenly, she knocks back on the door.

“Will you stop that?!” She hisses. “It’s. _God._ It’s what time in the morning. Do you have to be so loud?! There are people sleeping here—” A half-lie, really. Who knows if ghosts _can_ sleep? “And I don’t think it’s proper for you to stay here! Go back to your dorm and go to sleep!”

“That’s the thing!” Ace hollers back. “I don’t have anywhere else to go to right now! I _really_ need a place to stay right now!”

_Hah!_ She thinks, stubbornly banging back. _As if I’d let you in, you—!_

**_Crack!_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very unimpressable chapter this time, but time to lay out the groundwork for what's to come (✿ヘᴥヘ)
> 
> Let me just warn you all that the events of Chapter 1 for this fanfic will play out very differently (✪‿✪)ノ Hope ya'll will welcome it with open arms!.
> 
> Common Name: Skipjack tuna


	42. Brugmansia arborea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fix my door and I’ll give you my opinion,” she snarks.

“—And that’s what happened!” Ace, who’d been sitting in one of the dining table’s rickety chairs for the better part of a quarter-hour, _finally_ finishes his story. “I mean—can you believe it?! What kind of person just does that?!”

Erika presses her lips together. 

_I should have just gone back to sleep instead_ , she internally sighs as she reaches into the thin plastic to pull out another pair of sliced bread and begin making her nth sandwich of the early morning.

She listens with half an ear as Grim delivers his piece and she nods at the right parts to show her support for his arguments. 

_Ace really did something wrong_ , she silently examines. _It’s common courtesy to not touch somebody else’s food..._ Especially _if you don’t even know who the food belongs to._

Distinctly, an amusing but also unpleasant memory pops up in her mind, making her grimace.

It’s only a couple of seconds later that she realizes how palpably quiet it is now in the room.

When she turns to check the reason for the sudden silence, she blinks at the sight of both Grim and Ace looking expectedly at her.

“Hm?” She sounds out, still awkwardly holding an open tuna can in one hand and a spoon in the other. 

“What do you think?” Ace asks with a raise of his chin. “Isn’t my Dorm Head just the worst?!” He exclaims, his hands shooting up to tightly grasp the heart-shaped collar around his neck. “And, ugh! No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get it off!” 

Even as Ace paints quite the pitiful sight as he struggles to pull apart the collar sealing his magic with the most frustrated expression, she still can’t quite find it in herself to muster the same kind of sadness she’d felt when she’d watch this scene play out in the game.

Instead, she fixes him with the same amount of impressiveness that had been on Grim’s face.

_Zero_.

“Fix my door and I’ll give you my opinion,” she snarks as she sets the items in her hand atop the kitchen counter. She makes a move to lean against the counter but quickly stops herself when she realizes that she hadn’t quite cleaned the stubborn grime on the edges.

_Gotta clean that_ , she decides on before she turns her gaze back to Ace.

“Are you seriously still mad about that?” The disbelief in Ace’s voice only makes her insides curdle; that feeling only grows when his gaze narrows into one of annoyance. “I didn’t even break it! If you hadn’t knocked back, then you’d still have that door!” He throws out before angrily crossing his arms to better emphasize his point. 

In response to this accusation, Erika straightens her back.

“Oh, so it’s _my_ fault?” She phrases, feeling the back of her tongue get heavier with each word that leaves her tongue. She clenches her fists over the back of her pants, and _oh_ she wishes it were as simple as a simple horny grip.

_I knew I shouldn’t have let him in_ , she begrudgingly thinks.

Ace makes some sort of frustrated gurgle in his throat.

“That’s not it!” Ace snaps out; then, as if he’d realized he’d unwittingly raised his voice, he breathes out a weary sigh as he leans back against the chair that squeaks in protest against his weight. “Look, I—” Ace brings his hand to scratch the back of his head. “—I didn’t mean to yell like that. I had a really bad time back at my dorm, and I just need some help,” he admits with a downtrodden gaze.

At the sullen expression twisting Ace’s features, what ire building up like some kind of explosion within her lungs dies a clean and swift death.

_God,_ she thinks, her heart squeezing a bit as she properly takes in the miserable appearance that Ace is sporting right now. It doesn’t help that traitorous part of her brain decides to remind her that Ace probably hadn’t even had the time to take a shower, much less get any of his belongings, before he got kicked out of his dorm.

And all because he ate a piece of a tart. 

And just a _piece_ , what the fuck. He didn’t even eat the whole tart, but he still got kicked out!

_Ugh_ , she thinks, bringing a hand up to rub her throbbing temples. _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Why did Riddle have to kick him out?_

As irritated as she is at Ace for breaking her door and being so insincere to other people’s food that would then lead to a catastrophic event, Erika isn’t a _completely_ heartless person despite what most of her friends would say.

_I am so yasashi, after all,_ she snorts in her head.

“You just need a place to sleep at, right?” She finally brings up, unwilling to directly look at Ace because she has some pride, no matter how little it may be at this point. 

Ace snaps his head up, surprise coloring his features.

“Ehhh?” Grim drawls out, looking at her with perked ears and crumbs of bread near his mouth from when he’d chowed down three tuna sandwiches. “You’re really letting him stay?” He sounds bewildered.

She doesn’t know if she should be offended by his words.

“It’s only until he’s able to go back to his dorm,” she corrects, as she forces herself to turn around and finish making the sandwich. “It’s not like he’ll be staying here forever or something,” she mutters, withholding the sigh that desperately wants to come out.

_I’m just letting him sleep here_ , she goes for assuring herself once she notices the minute trembling in her hands. _It’s not like I’m helping him force Riddle into overblot over some horrible duel that happened in the game…_

She’s broken out of her distraction when a laugh echoes in the room.

“I knew you were a good person!” Ace praises her, but she knows from his personality in the game that he didn’t 100% mean it, unlike sweet and precious Ortho. “So, uh, where can I sleep?” He asks, getting right to the point.

“Mrrrrw. You’re really serious about this?” Grim checks, sounding one part dubious and the other part pity. “All the other bedrooms aside from ours are full dust. If you’re gonna sleep here, then you better clean it yourself,” he snorts.

“Ugh.” Ace makes a sound of disgust. “I don’t wanna clean at all,” he complains, the pitch of his voice rising a bit. “Hey, hey, your room’s clean, right? Let me stay there instead! I’m a pretty flexible guy with my arrangements and I promise I won’t take up any space! So plea~se?” 

Erika’s right eyebrow twitches as she places the slice of bread and finishes the sandwich.

She looks over her shoulder so that he can see the deadpanned expression that she’s wearing.

“For _that_ comment, you get to sleep in the bathtub,” she decides to banish him to, because she doesn’t feel quite comfortable about sharing a bed with a _barely acquaintance_ when she’d just arrived in this world two days ago.

_As excited as I was to jump into the TWST boys’ beds before,_ she muses as she picks up the plate of sandwiches. _I’d rather not right now._

Surviving is, after all, her priority, and she doubts people like Vil or Sebek would appreciate her leaping straight for their beds.

“Huuuuuh?!” Ace exclaims after a moment of processing what she’d just said, looking at her with wide eyes to match his gaping mouth. “The bathtub?! Are you serious?!” He demands, looking at her then to Grim who too is looking at her with surprise. “With a house as dirty as this, who knows what kind of germs could be in there?!” He complains, eyeing the mold that she has yet to scrub out with vinegar.

“All the bathrooms are clean, just so you know,” she informs him as she moves over to the table where Grim and Ace are seated at. “There are a few discolorations here and there, but I scrubbed out what I could,” she adds as she sets something down in front of Ace.

The Heartslabyul student pauses mid-rant to look down at the plate of tuna sandwiches before him.

“...What’s this?” He asks, pointing at the plate with his gloved hand. There’s a look of confusion on his face, evident by the curl of his lips and the furrow of his brows. 

She blinks slowly at his question.

“You’ve only eaten a bit of that tart, right?” She asks with a tilt of her head. “I figured that wouldn't be enough to satisfy _anyone_ , so I made some sandwiches,” she tells him. As much as Ace had come in unannounced and not completely welcomed, he’s still technically her guest and it’s not like she has to tighten her budget for food anymore. “It’s still cold, but if you don’t want it, you can give it to Grim.”

When she gestures to the magical creature in question, she’s able to catch sight of the eager nod that Grim gives despite having eaten three whole sandwiches on his own.

_Where does he shit?_ She can’t help but wonder. _In the forest? Or in the bathroom?_

“Yeah!” Grim excitedly agrees. “If you don’t want it, then give it to me! If you want it, then still give it to me!” He makes grabbing motions with his paws, the flames in his ears crackling with his enthusiasm to devour anything that has tuna in it.

“Don’t steal food,” lightly rebukes Erika as she pats Grim between his ears. “You’re looking at the consequences of it.”

Ace sits up straighter at her words.

“This isn’t normal!” He protests with his hands on the collar.

Erika glances at him one last time before she turns away, intending on grabbing her duvet and pillows and stuffing them into the bathtub since, well—

As if she could sleep in this kind of stressful environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooh! Stepping into Chapter 1 feel so fun. I had to stack up on my outlines for future chapters, and I also had to cut this because it was getting too long and the next scene would be better off as its own chapter hehehe.
> 
> And omg. How did you all do for the Halloween event? :"> Pls send me luck
> 
> Common Name: Angel's Trumpet (although it's only a species of it haha. Apparently, the Brugmansia arborea is now extinct in the wild huhu)


	43. Acropora cervicornis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon plotline, she confidently thinks. You can fucking suck my ass.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

At the rather loud footsteps echoing from the welcoming hallway, she halts her fingers in the midst of Grim’s soft fur and curiously raises her chin to face the intruder.

Her gaze immediately comes into contact with a familiar pair of teal eyes.

“...Good morning,” she politely greets Deuce. She’d have stood up to properly welcome him into her house of shit; however, with the added weight on her lap and the bearable ache in the muscles of her arms and legs from all the cleaning she'd done, she couldn’t quite find the will to bother herself with such formalities.

_At least the living room’s floor has been swept,_ she thinks with a sense of triumph swelling in her chest. _Next time, wax!_

“G-Good morning,” stammers out Deuce, a weak flush creeping up his neck and standing out starkly against the white of his shirt’s collar. “I, ugh, one of the doors at the front was missing, so I—” He fumbles over, nearly letting go of the bright red backpack that he’s holding in one hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just come in," he apologizes.

Surreptitiously, she glances at the large—and very _heavy_ , if she might add—wooden door propped up against the wall in likeness to the crooked painting hanging just above it.

She looks back at Deuce, forcing a smile to curl her lips upwards.

_I want to take a bath,_ she internally sobs even as, on the outside, she says, “It’s fine, it’s fine. You’re free to come in. Something happened to the door last night so…” Her words unintentionally trail off and she could already feel the grimace twisting her lips. “Yeah,” she lamely ends on. 

The sensation of something shifting atop her lap catches her attention and, with a slight tilt of her head down, she notices the furrowed expression on Grim’s face.

“It’s okay,” she murmurs to him as she resumes her petting of his fur. “You’re alright. Just go back to sleep,” she softly tells him, keeping her voice low with a lilt, because waking Grim up is the _last_ thing she needs right now.

Once Grim settles back down on her lap with a strong rumble vibrating within his chest, she raises her head back up with a sincere smile on her face.

“Sorry,” she reflexively apologizes, feeling a bit embarrassed herself because she hadn’t exactly _planned_ on letting one of the main TWST cast’s characters catch her cooing at Grim so early in the morning. “I’m guessing you’re here for Ace?” She hazards in spite of the fact that she’d spent the hour beforehand extensively researching and analyzing the contents of Chapter 1 on her phone to look for any possible points in time to _avoid_.

_Canon plotline_ , she confidently thinks. _You can fucking suck my ass._

After all, so long as she dodges every possibility of getting dragged into the territory of Heartslabyul Dormitory, runs away from having another _meeting_ with any of the Heartslabyul seniors, and hinders Ace from blurting out a single insult to Riddle, she can kiss her peaceful student life a cheerful _hello!_

_MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA_ , she internally cackles.

  
“Is he still here?” Deuce inquires, his gaze fleeting from one place to one another and it’s clear that he’s gauging Ramshackle Dorm.

Gauging how fucking _dirty_ most of it is, she can’t help but bemoan over.

“He is,” she confirms. “Just go upstairs and take the second door on the right. He’s still sleeping in the bathtub,” she directs him to.

Deuce nods, relief washing over his features judging by how the crease between his brows disappears. “Thank you—” He pauses, though, and then raises his brows at her in a clearly astonished expression. “In the bathtub?” He echoes.

The incredulity in his voice makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

“Yes.” 

Maybe she should have felt an ounce of shame for her quick response, but she’s slept in her friends’ definitely dirtier bathrooms after a night out a bunch of times to know that Ace had certainly gotten lucky this time. 

“I see…” Deuce trails off, turning his gaze to stare at the only staircase in the house. It takes him a couple of strides to reach it, and she watches as he easily climbs up, hesitating on some steps to test the squeakiness and sturdiness of it under his weight.

Once he’s out of sight, she goes back to focusing her attention on pampering Grim, caressing his back and putting a bit of pressure here and there to keep him happily snoozing.

Barely even a minute after she’d last seen Deuce, a loud ruckus resounds from the floor above with an accompaniment of yelling.

A low and deep rumble vibrates against her lap; when Grim’s ears twice against her hand, she pulls it away just in time to avoid getting burned when sparks blue come to life within there.

It takes less than a second for the flames in his ears to burst to life, flaring much stronger than it had when he’d been asleep but weakly flickering in response to his drowsiness.

_Hmmm,_ Erika hums, interested in the mechanism of his flames and if involuntary control has a marginal hand in it...

“Mrrrowww…what’s all that noooooiseeee?” Grumpily complains Grim as he stretches himself upon her lap, acting so very much like a very big housecat at this point. 

She watches as a large yawn escapes his mouth, no sign of fire trailing out or curling around his canines, and answers, “It’s nothing. Somebody just came to pick up Ace.”

Even though she can’t see the expression on Grim’s face, she _does_ feel the bristle that passes through his body.

“That guy’s still here?” Grim huffs out, a small trickle of fire bursting out of his mouth and slightly scorching the edge of the couch.

She closes her eyes.

_If I didn’t see it happen, then I can say that it came with the house,_ she stands firm on.

“Yes, he’s here,” she confirms before humming a small tune in her throat to somehow coax Grim back into sleep. To help her plan, she returns to caressing his back and scratching him behind the ears.

By the time both Ace and Deuce stomp down the stairs, Grim is already snoozing a mile away on her lap like some kind of glorious master.

She can’t help but note that Ace’s clothes look surprisingly ironed out, even if sleeping in a bathtub would have _certainly_ guaranteed creases.

Her eyes slide over to the red backpack slung over one of his shoulders and she supposes that he’d either magicked the creases out of his clothes or Deuce had packed some extra clothes for him.

_Were they already at this point in their friendship…?_ She wonders, finding it odd that somebody would pack clothes for a total acquaintance and come _all_ the way to a very much haunted house to pick them up, regardless if they'd survived some sort of life-endangering scheme together.

Erika knows that, if she were in Deuce’s place, she wouldn’t have even thought about it.

_...Deuce is such a good boy,_ she internally sobs over because, hngh, he _really_ is a good boy and his SSR Starry Clothes version _definitely_ deserved all those gems she’d spent to get him.

“Are you two heading off to school now?” She questions after a hard swallow because _dammit, Erika, don’t get sidetracked, remember the plan!_

“Oh, yes!” Deuce snappily turns to her, eye gleaming brighter than it had a while ago.

Ace, on the other hand, isn’t as enthusiastic. 

“Right now?!” He whines, his hand going to the back of his hair to ruffle it somewhat. “But isn’t it too early?! It’s not like we’re fighting for seats in class or anything,” he snorts.

Deuce sends him a withering look. “I thought that you’d want to go and apologize to Dorm Head Rosehearts and get that collar off of you before classes start?” He brings up with both of his brows arched high.

Ace clenches his jaw at that. 

“Like hell I will! Who in their right mind would even go sealing somebody else’s magic?! For a _tart?!_ And with this gaudy collar?!” Ace expresses his inexplicable anger, going so far as to grip the edges of the heart collar around his neck.

_It’s surprisingly cute_ , she can't help but think, eyeing its design. The game had done well in illustrating it, but there’s nothing like seeing the real thing in real life.

“Well,” drawls Deuce, his voice deepening as sarcasm laces it. “If _somebody_ didn’t eat what was theirs, then they wouldn’t be in this mess, yeah?”

Ace shoots him a furious glare. “Shut up,” he scoffs before turning to face her with a decidedly irritated but more placid expression. “Hey, ugh, thanks for letting me stay for the night,” he tells her, his red-eyed gaze not quite meeting her own, as he rubs the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. “I’ll see you again tonight if my dorm head doesn’t get this off of me,” he mutters, drumming his fingers across the collar’s surface.

Bemused, she tilts her head at his question. 

_What is he talking about?_ She wonders with a furrow of her brows. _Aren’t we classmates?_

Something clicks in her head then.

_Ah_ , she realizes, raising her gaze to inspect the obliviously expectant gazes on their faces. _They don’t know_.

She’d lost her consciousness right before they could all go report to Crowley about their success at getting the magic crystal; so, they weren’t there when she'd woken up and Crowley had offered his deal to her.

“We’ll probably see her again later around the school,” comments Deuce, confirming her suspicions. “She works here, after all.”

“Huh. Oh yeah,” is Ace’s response, his gaze shifting momentarily to meet her eyes. “Kinda forget about that...See you around then?” He offers.

Erika wonders if she should correct them right now—about the whole, _‘Hey, by the way, Crowley gave me this rad promotion and I’m a student now!’_ since it would only be proper.

Obliviously, Grim mumbles sleepily into her lap, nestling even further against her stomach with his tail unconsciously curling around the area beneath her knee, and continues dozing peacefully.

As she stares at the extremely contented expression on Grim’s face, she makes her decision. 

_...Nah,_ she chooses. _Let them find out about it later._

“Take care,” she politely bids them, waving at them with her free hand, and watches with a smile as they wave back as well with their own goodbyes before moving to leave Ramshackle Dorm.

_See you later_ , she thinks, the edges of her smile taking on an impish flavor.

.

..

…

..

.

“Nyahahaha!” Cheers Grim as he skips down the cobblestoned pathway leading to the main school building of the campus. “Finally—! I’m finally a full-fledged student here!” He crows as a faint wave of blue fire bursts out of his mouth to trail after him. 

At such an adorable display of enthusiasm, Erika can’t quite fight off the smile curling her lips.

Crowley, on the other hand, is the complete _opposite._

“Watch where you’re aiming your fire!” The headmaster snaps, his heels clicking against the ground in an almost amusing fashion as he hurries after Grim. “You might burn another statue!” 

In response to that, Grim snickers out a zealous, “Nyehehehe!”, before he suddenly turns on his heel and runs straight first for Crowley.

“You—!” Crowley manages to strangle out, expertly shuffling his feet here and there to avoid stepping on Grim who’s playfully weaving a continued infinity symbol between his legs. “Will you _behave?!”_ He demands as he purposefully slams his cane down on the ground.

However, proving that his excitement is _balls_ above his fear for Crowley, Grim skitters away from the headmaster and instead, much to her shock, leaps straight for her with the largest grin on his face.

“Oof!” Reflexively escapes her mouth once she catches him, and God, what the fuck did he eat before this for him to be this heavy? “Did you really have to do that?” She asks, trying to put on a tired look, but she’s admittedly having far too much fun to fake being a responsible guardian.

_Cute,_ she muses, her gaze locked onto the way his ears are perked high for the blue flames there to blaze clearly.

“Look, Erika!” Grim beams at her, his pawns positioned just beneath the lavender-colored gemstone hanging against his white-furred chest. “We match, nyehe!” His pick tongue slightly sticks out of his mouth as his grin widens.

Erika feels what anxiety she has building in her gut drain away ever so slightly at the very endearing sight of Grim.

“Mhhm,” she agrees, bringing her other hand up to rub the back of his ears. She’s rewarded with a deep and pleased rumble from Grim at the action. “We do.”

Her gaze lowers to the ‘magic crystal’ sitting daintily atop a ribbon that has the exact same design as Grim's to better show off their “ _Ramshackle Unity_ ”, as Crowley had put it.

“Do remember that it’s only an ordinary gemstone,” the man in question reminds her. The tiny pinpricks of light glowing in the eyeholes of his mark bore into her—assessing her, maybe. “Since you and Grim share student privileges, that entitles having to share a single magic crystal since these things don’t come cheap, you know,” he tuts her. 

She nods slowly at his explanation, her mind whirling with a random idea.

“Then am I allowed to sell this?” She asks as the tips of her fingers graze across the cool surface of this ordinary gemstone. 

With how pretty it looks, maybe it would fetch a good price if she pawned it off?

“I’d rather you didn’t,” drawls Crowley, the lights in his eyes taking on a slanted shape to match the twist in his lips. “That is supposed to represent your status as a student here in Night Raven College, regardless of your other circumstances. And it wouldn't do for the newly-reinstated prefect of Ramshackle Dorm to not have any means of identification,” he pointedly tells her.

She can’t help but frown.

_Awww,_ she whines in her head. She’d been planning on adding the money to the fund she’d made for repairing the front door that _Ace had fucking punched a hole through!_ With safety outweighing her desire for better food, it looks like that she’ll have to hold off on buying a rice cooker…

“So where are we going?” Grim’s sudden question snaps her out of her thoughts. When she looks down at him, she realizes that he hadn’t been directing the question to _her_ but instead to Crowley.

The frown painting Crowley’s lips easily enough transforms into a smile.

“Why, where else but to your next class?” He says in such a sweet voice that has Erika narrowing her eyes at. “I’ve already alerted your professors of your additions to the class, so I’m sure that you won’t have any problems with them from there on,” he informs them.

Then, as she’d expected, the headmaster stretches his arms out with his palms facing upwards.

“After all, aren’t I so kind?” Crowley, for a lack of a better term, _crows_ joyously.

Although she would have ordinarily laughed at this catchphrase if his game version had mentioned, Erika can’t help but smile in relief that he’d done that, even if this was just part of his job description.

“Thank you,” she offers, truly meaning it, because he’d saved her from having to explain herself several times as to how and why she’d gotten into this school.

Crowley smiles, and it’s clear to see that he’s pleased with her response.

“Soooooo,” Grim pipes up, tilting his head back to look directly at Crowley even if he had an upside-down view. “What’s our class going to be about?” He asks.

For some reason, Crowley widens his smile.

“Well, since you missed the first one," says Crowley as if _he_ hadn't been the one who'd been late in meeting them at Ramshackle Dorm. "You’ll be having History of Magic first,” he happily informs them, his voice pitching higher to enunciate the delight he’s feeling.

_History of Magic…_ She wracks through her brain, trying to remember what she’d studied about Chapter 1. If she’s right, then the second professor for the day would be—

Her gut drops.

_Trein_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wwwww a VERY late update but that's all because my studies have gone heavier. Luckily, I managed to find some windows in my schedule and write the stress out of me hehe. 
> 
> Hope you had fun reading this! Hehehe, MC didn't accompany them to Heartslabyul, what next will she avoid, hm? Oh! And thank you for the luck sent my way wwww. After some strenuous time, I was able to pull for who I wanted for the Halloween gacha hehe.
> 
> Common Name: Staghorn Coral


	44. Ornithorhynchus anatinus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What about the rice cooker?! 

_Maybe_ , she thinks for the umpteenth time as she gazes at the gleaming door handle just within arm’s reach. _I still have time to go back._

As if mocking her, the intricately-carved brass of the door handle gleams at her. 

Something inside of her clenches, her guts twisting and turning upon itself in response to it. At this point, she can’t tell if it’s just her nerves acting up or indigestion at its finest here.

Abruptly, as she tightly clutches the fabric of her skirt, she wonders if it would have been a better idea to have worn the pair of school pants that Crowley had provided to her when he’d brought a few sets of the prescribed uniform to her. Her being female was already a sure way to make her stand out amongst the male populace, but did she really have to furtherly distinguish herself by wearing a skirt…? And all because she felt more comfortable wearing it...?

_—No!_ She instantly shouts to herself, recognizing _this_ kind of downward spiral. She sharply pats herself on the cheeks to snap out of it. _You shouldn’t let something like this dissuade you! You’re free to wear whatever you want!_

“Heeeeeey, Erikaaaa,” whines a certain furball in the midst of her internal conflict. “What’s the hold-up? We could be missing something important! Like learning about how to summon tuna!” 

She shoots Grim a bland look. “We’re going to learn about Magical History, so I doubt we’ll be learning anything other than theoretical concepts for this week,” she assumes, wracking through her brain for what she remembered about that one History subject she took last semester.

Grim, with the most unimpressed look on his face, merely puffs out a cloud of smoke that lingers in the air. 

“Well! We won’t know until we go in!” He snarks at her then, to her horror, leaps up to the door handle in order to bring it down,

_FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKK_ , she screams in her head, her heart _freezing_ , and she helplessly watches as the door swings open with Grim still dangling almost comically from the handle.

Instinctively, her eyes lock onto the sole individual standing at the very forefront by the chalkboard.

It takes little more for her to recognize the slicked-back greying hair, the maroon robes, and, most distinctly enough, the black-furred cat resting in steady arms.

_Ah_ , goes her mind where a whirlwind of nerves are running around like headless chickens. _Professor Trein…_

When a pair of piercing green eyes lock onto her, she instinctively straightens her back and swallows the lump in her throat.

_I can’t be nervous now,_ she thinks even as her heart beats out a rhythmic _thump, thump, thump_ at a rate that is notably quicker than usual. _You can do this, Erika. It’s just a class. You’ve done worse. You just have to—_

However, in the midst of pumping herself up, she forgot one critical detail.

_Grim_.

“Are you a teacher?” A high-pitched voice rings out loud and clear in the stiffening quiet room. The familiarity of it is enough to snap her out of her train of thoughts and, with trepidation a dark cloud in her mind, she raises her gaze to see that, in a matter of seconds, Grim had entered the room and is now standing right in front of their professor.

_RVFCFVCBXNFVCBXNCDB?!?!?!?!?!?!?!_ A strangled sound echoes in her head.

She watches, with bated breath, as Trein merely blinks slowly at Grim with a decidedly nonplussed expression.

“I am, “ he confirms with a nod as the cat in his arms, _Lucius_ , leans over a bit to better look down at Grim. 

Though she can’t quite see the expression on Grim’s face, she can very well hear the sound of delight that escapes him.

Then, as if having noticed her lack of presence behind him, Grim swivels his head in her direction, the brilliant blue of his eyes the first thing that catches her gaze.

“Eh?” Grim utters, those eyes of his blinking thrice, and the way he tilts his head just so is enough to fan away the butterflies in her stomach. “What are you doing over there, Erika? Get in, get in!” He ushers her, excitedly waving his paws at her.

At the very mention of her name, Erika can very well feel when every pair of eyes in the room turn her way. And, as much as she wants to take a step back, as much as her insides quake with the force of her nervousness, she clenches her jaw and balls her hands into fists by her sides.

_There’s no running away here,_ she thinks as she forces her nerves to calm the fuck down. _Crowley gave this opportunity to me, so I can’t waste it!_

With as deep an inhale as she can muster, she takes her first steps into the classroom.

Briefly, her gaze filters over the students that are meant to be her classmates.

She meets Deuce’s vibrantly teal eyes from across the room, spots the familiar shade of orange that is Ace’s hair, then forces herself to look back at Trein.

She comes to a stop just a few feet away from him and (tries to) casually fold her hands over her midgut. 

“Good morning,” she greets him, internally congratulating herself because, _fuck yeah_ , she didn’t stutter nor did her voice come out weird. “Headmaster Crowley sent me here and told me this would be our first class,” she explains.

She holds her breath, desperately trying not to squirm as Trein rakes his gaze from her head to her feet. She can tell that he’s forming his first opinion of her, and she hopes that it isn’t a particularly bad one.

“I presume that the two of you are the new students,” Trein says slowly as his gloved hand passes over Lucius’s fur. “...Erika and Grim?” He asks, looking at each one of them as he says their name.

Whilst she wordlessly nods her assent, Grim on the other hand excitedly raises his hands up with a boisterous, “Yup!”

Trein assesses them for a few more moments before he turns his head to scan the crowd of mostly curious students.

“Go find a seat. I’ll explain my rubric to you two after class,” he says in clear dismissal.

“Yes, sir,” she is quick to acquiesce to. Without another thought, she plucks Grim off of the floor and hugs him close to her chest before turning to look for a seat that she could possibly sit next to.

Fortunately and unfortunately for her, Grim spots it first.

“Oi! Look, look, Erika! Ace and Deuce are here! And there’s a seat next to them!” Grim continues to strongly pat her collarbone as he points at the only available seat in the room. “AAACE! DEUUUCE!!” Grim loudly calls out to them, enthusiastically waving his paw at them. “Look! We’re students too!”

On cue, everyone turns their gazes to the two stunned students who are still looking at them with saucer-like eyes.

Feeling an unimpressed stare boring into her back, Erika raises her hand to briefly cover Grim’s mouth before any more words could escape him.

“Sorry, sir,” she apologizes to Trein who looks none too pleased with the newfound disturbance. “W-We’ll be going to our seats now,” she nearly squeaks out before hurrying over to her row.

She bears the brunt of everybody’s stares as she climbs up the steps, wondering if this was how transfer students in stories felt like when they were suddenly thrust into a new school.

She doesn’t quite like it.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” she murmurs as she squeezes her way through the back of the students on the same row as hers. She appreciates them all moving to make way for her, but she’d rather that they’d really stop looking at her and Grim so intensely.

When she finally makes it to her seat, she plops herself down on the cold bench with a sigh.

“Class, class, class~” Grim sings as he positions himself better upon her lap places his paws atop the desk. “I wonder what we’re going to learn about today!” He giggles, the flames in his ears momentarily sparking with the force of his delight.

_At least one of us is having fun,_ she can’t help but think, a burst of fondness welling up in her chest. With a hand carefully cradling Grim’s belly to prevent him from falling, she turns to her seatmate on the right.

“Good morning,” she greets Deuce with a somewhat tense smile and she watches as he opens and closes his mouth.

“Y-You,” he stutters out, his eyes shifting from her face then to the school uniform that she’s wearing. “You’re here…?” He says aloud, confused and dazed by her mere presence in the classroom.

As much as she wants to talk to him about this, there are certainly better times and places to do this.

“We can talk about this later,” she promises, her gaze fleeting to Trein who’s watching them with a hawk-like stare. “We don’t want our professor to get mad, ne?”

Deuce sits straighter at that and turns his head to properly face the board.

Coincidentally, somebody loudly clearing their throat catches everyone’s attention.

“If you would all keep your words to yourselves,” Trein starts with as he brings down his fist that he’d used to cover his mouth. “I believe that it’s time for class to start.”

Everyone gladly quiets down.

“Good.” Trein gives them one last overview before he strides back to his desk to pick up the large book resting there. “If you would all bring out your book for this class and turn to page 5, you’ll find that our topic for the day will consist of the magic stone that was recently found in the Dwarf’s mines.”

Erika perks up at that.

_This world’s lore_. 

Like everyone else, Erika reaches out for her book.

She stops, though, when she realizes something.

She doesn’t have the book.

_Oh my God,_ she thinks, mortified, as she opens her bag and sees nothing but her change of clothes for PE and Lab class for the period she'd missed earlier. _I don’t even any paper to write on. Or a_ pen _._

“Hey, Erika,” Grim asks her just in time. “What book?” He tilts his head at her, his ears twitching. 

_I wish I knew!_ She wants to cry out. Couldn’t Crowley have at least prepared her for this? Or maybe notified her?! Nevertheless, she plasters on a smile and tells him, “Oh, give me a moment.”

Seeing that she’s left with, well, _nothing_ , she decides to take her chances and glances at her seatmates.

On her left is some Savanaclaw student with, to her utter amazement, a pair of fluffy-looking bear ears atop his head and a very bored expression twisting his features.

On her right is Deuce Spade.

Not wanting to risk a big ruckus on the first day of classes for them, she turns to Deuce and reluctantly pokes his arm.

When she has his attention, she swallows the lump in the throat in order to make way for the courage to ask, “Would it be alright if you share your book with Grim and me?” The confusion making its way up his face is one that she’d expected. “We, um, kinda don’t have one right now,” she sheepishly admits whilst scratching the corner of her cheek.

Deuce’s eyes widen. Then, when she’d feared that he’d reject her, the bestest, besty, _best_ boy of Twisted Wonderland nods his head.

“Of course!” He agrees. “Here,” he says as he slides the thick book in the space between them on the table.

Erika’s eyes soften. “Thank you,” she murmurs and the smile on her lips only grows when Grim echoes her sentiments with an additional, “You’re not that bad of a guy, nyeh, Deuce!”

_Maybe school won’t be so bad after all._

.

..

…

..

.

“Surprise,” says Erika, jazz hands and all.

She’s fully aware that there’s an impish smile curling her lips high, but there’s truly no helping it. She just _really_ wanted to see what Ace’s and Deuce’s reactions would be like when they found out about her and Grim’s honorary student position.

“Surprise!” Grim mimics her, shaking his paws at them. Beneath the unforgiving rays of the sun that beams down at the sports field that they’re all standing on for the first PE class together, the flames in his ears appear to burn an even deeper blue. “Nyehe~ What do you think? Isn’t my collar just the best?” He puffs his chest out to better show it.

Instinctively, her hand flies up to her collarbone. 

Briefly, she panics when she doesn’t feel her faux magic stone, but she manages to calm her nerves when she remembers that she’d hidden it away with her school uniform when she’d changed into the PE attire.

_Phew,_ she thinks.

“Wait.” Ace brings a hand up to stop them from talking any longer. “How...How are the two of you students here?! I thought that you two were the janitors?!” He looks at Deuce at this as if seeking support.

“Oh.” Grim blinks at them, his expression twisting into one of confusion. “The feathery guy didn’t tell you? He made us into students!” Grim informs them as his pitchforked tail whips back and forth behind him. 

“Yes,” she confirms when both Ace and Deuce raise their gazes to her. “The headmaster offered the position to us last night.”

“Last night…” Ace trails off before the realization clicks in. “Hah?! Then you knew before I came over?!” 

She nods, her smile growing further at the frustrated expression on his face.

_If a certain somebody hadn’t broken my door_ , she thinks whilst rolling up the long sleeves of her jacket because _boy_ was it fucking hot. _I wouldn’t have kept it from you._

“We’re both Ramshackle Dorm students!” Grim giggles with a deep rumble that resounds from his chest. “But Erika is the prefect! Even though I’m more qualified to be that…” He snidely comments, gazing up at her with narrowed eyes as if he were contemplating revolution.

“And it’s going to be a loooooot of work,” she is quick to comment on, because, _no_ , a coup d’etat isn’t something she needs right now. Who knows what Grim will do with all their money?! 

_What about our rice cooker?!_

“The repairs for the house, our budget, and also talking to the ghosts living there...I’ll have to handle it all,” she bemoans whilst cupping her cheek. “Do you want to do that, Grim?” She offers just to nail down the last bullet.

By the way Grim’s face twists, she knows she can worry about a possible coup next time.

“Wha—” Deuce snaps his head in her direction once he’s processed the whole thing. “Prefect?” He asks, gazing at her with very wide eyes.

She nods. 

“Isn’t that too crazy?” Ace blurts out, red eyes wide in incredulity. “School’s just started and you—you don’t even have any magic, yet you’ve become a prefect?!”

Again, she nods. She honestly doesn’t know that the hell was going through Crowley’s head when he elected her as the prefect of a (trashcan, shithole, garbage, take your pick) dorm, albeit one that only has two students and three ghosts gracing its halls.

“Yeah, but Grim and I share student rights, though,” she adds as an afterthought before she lets it slip from her mind. “Which means, my grades and his are dependent on one another…”

_Urk._ If the Octavinelle chapter had taught her anything, then it would be that Grim wasn’t a particularly avid fan of studying. _I’ll have to do something about this_ , she concludes.

No way is she taking any chances at signing a contract with Azul.

_I’d like a peaceful student life, please._

A distinctly shrill sound pierces through the air, easily catching the attention of every student on the field.

When she turns her head to pinpoint the source, she can’t help but raise her brows at the sight.

“GOOOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!” An impressively-muscular man shouts out in greeting, and Erika notices how some of their beastmen classmates' ears pulled back at the sound. “I’m Professor Vargas and I’ll be in charge of overseeing your physical education!” 

_Vargas…_ Erika thinks, an inkling of dread pooling generously into her stomach. She’d only seen his character in the game and, from what she’s gathered, he can be—

“Excellent magic starts with excellent bodies!” Vargas interrupts her train of thought with a proud roar before, much to her utter amazement because the game had _certainly_ not shown this, he proceeds to flex his muscles that truly bulge out beneath the fabric of his jersey jacket. “Behold…! These muscles that I train every day!” He proudly boasts, beaming at them.

— _intense,_ belatedly finishes her mind as she struggles to close her gaping mouth. 

She’s starting to think that, _maybe_ , cleaning the school and doing Crowley’s odd errands would have been better than what was to come.

“A magician with no stamina is unspeakable!” Vargas tells them and, by how he’s assessing each one of them, he’s most likely gauging what their limitations could probably be. “All of you! Start with 20 laps around the field! And then 100 sit-ups!” 

_URK_. She looks down at her abs. Or, well, her _lack_ of one because all those burgers she’d had in her world have certainly done a number on her gut and she’s pretty sure her core will cry tears of buckets to her if she even attempts to do _one_ sit-up.

“Eh…” Ace mutters next to her. “It’s not like I don’t like exercise, but...teachers like him are really something.”

“He seems fun,” is Deuce’s comment. When all eyes turn on him, he looks at them with an incredulous eye. “What? He does,” is his insistent response

“Do magicians really have to train like this?” Grim wonders as Vargas blows off his whistle once more and demands for them to all form a single lane. “I don’t think running around like hamsters will help anybody…”

_I’m not even a magician_ , she wants to sob.

Regardless, she jogs in line after Deuce with Grim hot on her heels, hoping that the rest of the day will go on smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, God! It's been so long since my last update HUHUHUHU. I've been so jam-packed (and going crazy over discord) that time slipped by me ;_; But I'm just so glad to have this out hehe (灬♥ω♥灬)
> 
> On a side note, next chapter will be so very exciting to write!!!  
> Ψ(｀∀´#)ﾉ
> 
> Thank you all for sticking through to this (༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ) I've already got the outline for the next chapter done, so I'll just have to write it out hehe~
> 
> (Common Name: Bill-horned Platypus)


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